TITAN POKER

Last Day to Qualify for the Exclusive $3,500 Titan Poker DeepStack Freeroll on March 5

admin — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 04:54:13 +0000

Last Day to Qualify for the Exclusive $3,500 Titan Poker DeepStack Freeroll on March 5
March 03 2012, PokerNews Staff Related Articles Don’t Miss Out on the Exclusive $3,500 Titan Poker DeepStack Freeroll on March 5 PokerNews Exclusive $3,500 Titan Poker DeepStack on March 5 Two Days Left to Qualify for Titan Pokers $10K Monthly Bonanza Share It Tags Poker bonus, Poker promotions, Titan Poker, PokerNews Freerolls Print It’s the last day to qualify for Titan Poker’s $3,500 DeepStack Freeroll. Sign up for a Titan Poker account through PokerNews now! If you like to play poker and win free money, then we have the offer for you! Titan Poker is offering a special $3,500 DeepStack Freeroll exclusive to PokerNews players on March 5 at 2000 CET, though today is the last day to qualify. What do you need to do to qualify? Its simple, just sign up for Titan Poker through PokerNews, make a deposit, and proceed to earn a minimum of 30 Titan Points, but youll need to get started quick as the qualification period ends today (2359 CET)! To learn more, visit Titan Poker. You can also sign up for a Titan Poker account through PokerNews and receive a special bonus of 200% up to $2,000, just use bonus code POKERNEWS. If you experience any problems with this or any of our promotions, please contact our Ticketed Promo Support System. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now! Recent Articles The Nightly Turbo: O’Dwyer Leads WPT Denmark, Top Pros Heading to Ireland, and More National Conference of State Legislatures Oppose Federal Regulation of Online Poker An Epic Letdown? Pro Blogs: How To Treat Your Customers by Alec Torelli The Online Railbird Report: Jens “Jeans89″ Kyllnen Up $1.6 Million on the Year Most Popular This Week Federated Sports+Gaming Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; Exclusive with Duke & Pollack Poker PROductions’ Mori Eskandani Talks Poker After Dark Relaunch 2012 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Day 1: Ivey Thrives On Return to the USA The Nightly Turbo: Phil Hellmuth Wins at LAPC, FS+G Files for Bankruptcy, and More Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre Indicted by Federal Prosecutors; Bodog.com Seized Comments

Absolute Poker Injects Saturday’s Tournament Schedule With Extra Cash

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:15:19 +0000

Guru Play.com Online Poker Bonus Code Injects Saturday’s Tournament Schedule With Extra Cash
Absolute Poker is kicking off December by enhancing their online poker tournament schedule and adding $175,000 in guaranteed cash to the mix this Saturday.

USA Player Options Saves Poker Fans from Sleeping on Couch this Valentine’s Day
If you’re a poker lover, or any kind of lover for that matter, Absolute Poker wants you to know that they have your back. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the popular online GP poker site today announced that they’ve stocked their Absolute Rewards Store with all kinds of February 14th-friendly merchandise to help Texas Hold’em fans stay out of the doghouse.

Orlando Resident Cracks $807,543.95 Bad Beat Jackpot online casino games
Online poker player EMILIE14 hits monster Bad Beat Jackpot of over $800,000 to take home $270,843.03 at Absolute Poker.

Looking for online Pokies , then read the Best Pokies Sites reviews

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:27:32 +0000

Try your luck with a great game of play poker from Sky Poker now. No need for a poker face in this game, just place your bets and let the cards dot he talking at www.skypoker.com . ou can also enjoy a great game of online bingo with Littlewoods Bingo at http://www.littlewoodsbingo.com now, make sure you claim your free 20 starting bonus while you’re there

Team Titan and Sorel Mizzi on a Roll

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:18:23 +0000

Team Titan and Sorel Mizzi on a Roll
Submitted on Fri, 2010-05-21 05:25 Sorel Mizzi, who made his name as a monster online poker player and signed with Team Titan at Titan Poker one month ago, has been burning up the poker tables in Europe. Mizzi finished in the money twice recently. European Poker Tour On the European Poker Tour (EPT), Mizzi captured sixth ($190,000) at the Grand Final High Roller event. As we noted in a recent article, the European Poker Tour is considered to be the richest poker tour around, with over a dozen events across the continent and one tourney in the Bahamas. Back in April, Mizzi was signed as the guru of Team Titan. Titan Poker has made it a priority to find new players online and mentor them into champs. When they signed Mizzi last month, he was already considered to be a top player and became the designated captain of the team. World Poker Tour His latest finish in the money was last week at the World Poker Tour Rendez-Vous a Paris. He finished second winning $159,000 in a 25-player, $20,000 buy in. Freddy Deeb took the main prize in the event. Thus far this year Mizzi has won $1,266,960. Watch out if you’re sitting across the green felt from him. Team Titan at Titan Poker has found a winner.

Global Gaming Monopoly

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:54:09 +0000

Global Gaming Monopoly
DOJ seizures of Poker Domains Part 6 The Systematic Takeover of the State Casinos and Worldwide Gaming Monopoly A Poker Room Skin is an online poker room with its own skin that operates on the same platform with many more individually branded online poker rooms. An example would be Doyles Room and how it operated on Cake platform, but was branded as Doyles Room. In 2006 before Doyles Room started moving from one platform to another, a poker affiliate could have paid $10,000 or less to Doyles Room and created their own skin with their own brand earning 40% rakeback with only some monthly fees for operation. If you were savvy enough, you could run your own poker room. This all ended when the NFL used lobbyist group Covington and Burling to attach the UIGEA. It was no longer viable to buy a skin with threat of the DOJ shutting you or your network down. This was the solution brought about by Brick and Mortar casinos and the NFL whos owners and members have big plans for gambling. The major challenge was getting rid of the successful and fast growing Full Tilt Poker. Bernard Tapie was most likely sent by Steve Wynn to broker a deal. Preceding his visit, was Jack Binion who is a paid employee of Steve Wynn and former owner of the Horseshoe casino. Bernard Tapie and his son would come shortly after no deal could be reached with Binion. Or was Binions visit just to make an offer from Wynn privately and use Tapie as front man for Pokerstars/Wynn hostile takeover? The DOJ who had confiscated the Full Tilt Poker domain name and player funds was in total control. Full Tilt was till operating in Europe, but that was all about to change with Phil Iveys lawsuit against them. It would cause a run on the bank of Euro player funds. Tony G would claim (and I believe him) that this was a ploy to devalue Full Tilt Poker value to enable a takeover for cheap. Soon it would be leaked to NoahSD, a mod at Two Plus Two, that Phil Ivey owed at least 4 million and asmuch as 10 million to Full Tilt Poker. This would enrage many players who believed that Ivey lost 10 million of their funds playing craps. Phil Ivey was playing craps at up to $100k a roll and it is totally plausible that he owed markers to Brick & Mortar Vegas Casinos. If he owed more money to the Brick & Mortars or specifically Wynn, this could put him under pressure to file the lawsuit. Tapie would later sign agreement to buy FTP with many contingencies. They would create company in Ireland with the function of leasing software. Shortly after this, DOJ would reject Tapie and another leak OKd by NoahSD in Two plus Two announcing that Pokerstars is going to buy the software off of Full Tilt Poker. This all seemed very suspicious to me and to others, that it happened so fast. I had predicted only one week after Black Friday, that Caesars would end up with the software and lease it to the state casinos:In my opinion all of these studies the states are doing are wasting tax payers money. They could drag a third rate affiliate off any forum and that affiliate would be able to tell them that the state would not be able to get the conversions needed to have profitable poker eco system. You need thousands of players all day long to get games going. This leads me to the conclusion that the government went after Full Tilt Poker, UB, and Pokerstars to wipe out future competition for Caesars Entertainment Group. Once they have a bill in place for regulation of online poker, they will grant Caesars Entertainment Group a sweetheart license to run online poker sites in the USA. The states study will conclude that they cant do it on their own, and that they will have to buy skins from Caesars Entertainment group. A year later (a few days ago), an industry insider from Bodog would say almost the identical statement: The deal would then see PokerStars pardoned, potentially allowing it to partner with a land-based casino and apply for a license to enter the US market in the eventuality of legalisation. Under these circumstances, it has been suggested that PokerStars could even licence out Full Tilts software,with a Bodog representative commenting via Facebook:I think it has to do with the software. I think they will keep the Full Tilt software clean and license it to new operators in regulated states and jurisdictions looking to get into the online poker space. Shortly thereafter, on Quad Jacks Radio, Scott Yeates, a former employee for Pokerstars, who is now consulting in the industry, said the same thing about the leasing of the software. It is beginning to look like I was right, except that it is Pokerstars and not Caesars or Zynga. Shortly before Black Friday Wynn aligned with Pokerstars:If federal regulation passes, Wynn plans to launch PokerStarsWynn.com. With Wynns backing, it seems much more likely that PokerStars will be able to secure a license, and that is a strong sign that poker players will be able to prosper in a regulated U.S. environment. It is my belief that they formed a sort of Hegelian Dialectic to get rid of Full Tilt Poker. Pokerstars meetings with Wynn years before Black FridayNearly two years ago billionaire Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn met Isai Scheinberg, the founder of PokerStars, the worlds biggest online gaming firm, for the first time. Scheinberg generally avoids traveling to the U.S., but the meeting took place on Wynns boat while it was anchored in the Mediterranean Sea. Over a three-hour lunch, Scheinberg tried to convince Wynn that the two of them should work together to regulate online poker in the U.S. with an eye toward setting up a joint venture. They would create a problem: DOJ shuts down poker sites and confiscates bank accounts. People would react: by begging for regulation of course all along being prodded by PPA and Fair Play. Two Plus Two would soon fill with shill accounts and leaked news promoted by the mods. Solution: Pokerstars would save the day and pay everyone back their own money. The masses would then rejoice in a Pokerstars monopoly and legislation preventing this from ever happening again. It has become more evident from all of my research that there has been a systematic takeover of all gaming by a small group of individuals. After over 510 hours of research into Black Friday and the events before and after, I can only come to this sad hypothesis; There is a consorted effort state by state, for a few individuals, to have a monopoly in gambling. In many cases they partner up with corrupt local officials or corrupt or greedy Indian casinos in order to eliminate opposition from local lawmakers. And in many cases these casinos are tied to money laundering. These state casino monopolies would open up across the country, in some cases financed by the state or pension funds, for people that wont travel to Las Vegas. The main east coast centers would be in New York, Jew Jersey, and Miami. Take a look at these examples of state and international casinos where mega lobbying is involved and decide for yourself: The Rooney family, who own the Pittsburgh Steelers and racetracks and casinos are getting in on the action:Rooneys Tri-State Strategies LLC, now a registered lobbying firm in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, includes such political heavies as former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio; Paul T. Fader, the former chief counsel to former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey; Michael Perrucci, an attorney who has invested in the casino project in south Bethlehem; and attorney Douglas J. Steinhardt.The NFL was responsible for the actual attachment of the UIGEA Rooney Mara Descendant of Steelers owner and Giants Owner andStar of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Rooneys have long been involved in gambling and are tied by blood to the New York Giants owners family the Maras: In 1925, bookie Timothy Mara decided against investing $500 in the career of heavyweight boxer Gene Tunney, instead pumping the cash into the new New York Football Giants, Playing FootballBesides the conservative authors of the UIGEA, the NFL is pushing for it to go into affect as soon as possible. According to the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, a Bush official who once worked as a lobbyist for the National Football League is behind the push to rush the regulations through before Bush leaves office. The NFL has voiced its support for the UIGEA because it will snuff out illegal sports wagering that it thinks could threaten the integrity of the game. According to the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) asked the White House what role Deputy Director of Public Liaison William Wichterman had in encouraging the Treasury to send over the final draft of the regulations. Now they are changing their policies:Last month, the NFL considered during its annual meetings a revision to its gambling policies aimed at allowing teams to sell advertisements to casinos. The league made no announcement during the meetings regarding whether a vote was taken on the matter, or whether the rules in any way had changed.They have.Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal reports that the NFL has communicated to all teams the new rules regarding casino advertising, which allow such ads for the next two seasons. NFL FLip FLops like DOJ when all their duck are in a row or indicted acuallyCommissioner Roger Goodell and the league are discussing the issue at their annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., this week. Sources said an agreement to alter current policy would be a drastic about-face for the NFL.For years, the NFL has been vehemently opposed to any tie-ins with the industry, fearing that it would be seen as promoting sports wagering.In 2003, the league wouldnt let the Las Vegas tourism campaign What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas, run during the Super Bowl. DOJ FLIP FLOPS after Tapie agreement signed A few days early, the U.S. Department of Justice has given poker players a Christmas presents of sorts. The DOJ, which has long held the position that the Wire Act of 1961 applies to all forms of internet gambling, changed their position and now believe the 50-year-old law only applies to sports betting and not other forms of online gambling, including poker and lotteries. The DOJ had been asked for their opinion on the Wire Act as it pertained to lotteries in New York and Illinois. In the documents released on Friday the DOJ took the position that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside the reach of the Wire Act. Jon Kyl Flip flops after Black Friday In the last couple months, words attributed to Kyl on his official website were added that appear to back up that possibility. The text reads: Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year. Until I have the chance to review them, I cannot make a judgment about their merits; but I will consider them carefully as long as they leave in place the broader proscriptions against online betting. Looking at all the research in retrospect, it only makes sense. If we take a look at how Jack Abramoff closed Indian Casinos, bilked them of money, and did a hostile illegal takeover of Sun Cruz Casinos, it resembles the Full Tilt Poker takeover. Indian Casinos were a threat to state casinos popping up all over the country. There is also an effort to turn Miami into the east coast Las Vegas. They did not want Indian Casinos to limit their profits in anyway. Same holds true with Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt was becoming a serious threat to a global monopoly. They had risen unexpectedly and could actually surpass Pokerstars and then follow up with a brick and mortar casino or partner with one like Stations (who owed Caesars Money). For those of you who dont remember, Pokerstars was always copying Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was innovative and cutting edge and Pokerstars was always a month or two behind. Then a serious threat came in the form of Rush Poker. Rush poker was a new, exciting form of poker that was more profitable and faster. It meant players could play more hands which led to more profits per player. This also meant that anyone who played it would have serious problems waiting for hands at another site or in live play. So the threat was established, the brand was growing, and had cooler pros and higher high stake games. The trap was set long before Black Friday. The trap was set already to get rid of the fast growing poker room. Back to the states The Indian casinos held monopolies in some states because they were on territories that are out of jurisdiction for regulators. This enabled them to run Casinos with competition, but that is changing state by state. Jack Abramoff seemed to being working alone to bilk the Indian Casinos out of millions. That was far from the truth, he worked for a major casino lobbyist law firm called Greenberg Taurig (same law firm of PPA an Two Plus Two). Jack was using his friend Ralph Reed to manipulate Focus on Family (religious group) into writing congress to shut down Indian Casinos. He would then have them reverse their opinion once Abramoff collected millions in fees and the Indian Casino flooded PACs with donations. STATES Resorts World Miami Design photos FLORIDA Miami to Become New Las VegasInternalize the name Resorts World Miami. It is a 3 Billion dollar investment taking place at the heart of Downtown Miami. If the term 3 Billion didnt give you a conceptual mental picture of how massive this undertaking is, really take a closer look at the pictures provided. This project is like Disney World for adults in Miami. It may just be pictures and computer generated renditions, but Genting a Malaysian company already owns specific key locations to start construction as early as Spring of 2012 with a projected finish date as early as Fall 2014. Genting contracted a Miami based Architectural company named, get ready for this, Arquitectonica! Try and say that with a straight face. Despite their great name, Arquitectonica really went all out and didnt hold back when designing Resorts World Miami. Theyve managed to design the buildings with a futuristic marine life feel, in homage to Miamis aquatic lifestyle. Looking at the pictures it almost seems as if it were an underwater city made from gigantic coral reef structures. Miami Lobby Effort for East Coast ResortLast week, a Senate committee heard a pitch envisioning a handful of casino resorts in places like Miami and Tampa/St. Petersburg, with bidders paying a $50 million application fee.One proposal calls for a 75-mile exclusivity zone around the new casinos, but that wouldnt include the existing South Florida pari-mutuel and sovereign Seminole casinos. The casino proposal calls for a 10 percent tax rate on gambling revenue, which is far less than the 35 percent paid by the Broward and Miami-Dade racinos.The plan raises plenty of questions for South Floridas existing casinos.If full-fledged casino resorts are authorized, it means the states 2010 gambling agreement with the Seminoles would be voided. The five-year deal, which gave blackjack and other table games to five tribal casinos, was supposed to generate at least $1 billion for the state.It means the tribal casinos, like the Hard Rocks in Hollywood and Tampa, might get to stay open and expand gambling menus while not paying anything to the state. For that reason, the tribe might not oppose the new plan as much as youd think.A voided compact would give them a huge competitive edge, with more money available for promotions, marketing and payouts. Federal regulators and courts would have to sort out the inevitable legal disputes that would arise. NEW YORK New York Race Track ExpansionsRacetracks across New York Sept. 7 will unveil a plan to amend the state constitution to permit them to offer a complete array of casino gambling as part of a proposal they say will raise money for the state government and the industry. With state officials, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, signaling interest in possibly expanding casino options in the state, the racetracks that already have video lottery terminals say any future expansion should be limited to their sites as a way to block added casino competition from within New York. Backers say the plan would stand a better chance with voters because it would feature an expansion of existing casinos instead of new, Las Vegas-style casinos in new areas of the state. Nine tracks now are permitted to have VLT casinos under a 2001 law. Rooneys Blood Ties (full article deleted by Tribune Review) This is why Im copy pasting then linking to the sources.)The five sons of the late Art Rooney Sr., often called The Chief by friends and family, oversee a sprawling empire that includes at least two dozen corporations in fields as diverse as dog racing, restaurants and electrical contracting that combine to churn more than $650 million in annual revenue. One piece, a casino and harness racing track at the northern edge of New York City, raked in more than $400 million last year. OHIO Lyle BermanBerman also played an important role in gaming companies. In 1990 he was a co-founder of Grand Casinos Inc., a company that sought to create gambling establishments outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Grand Casinos Native American casino holdings were spun off into a new company, Lakes Entertainment Inc., and Berman was named CEO. Additionally, Berman is the chairman of the board of the World Poker Tour and Pokertek. Lyle Bermans stake in Pokertek could be key in having all the casinos tied together for online poker while sitting in B&M Casinos. Each state casino could have their own skin for online and use Pokertek to tie live casino players to online rooms. Caesars Ohio Investment + Bermans Company Press Release announcing partnership between Bermans Company and Caesars:Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: LACO) announced today that Rock Ohio Ventures, LLC (Rock), the company that owns the rights to develop a casino in each of Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, recently entered into an agreement with Caesars Ohio Investment, LLC, a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Harrahs Entertainment, Inc.) (Agreement) providing for the joint ownership and management of Rock Ohio Caesars, LLC, the entity that will ultimately own, develop and operate the two Ohio casinos. Lakes continues to have the right to own up to 10% of Rocks ownership in the two casinos, provided that Lakes funds a proportionate amount of the capital required from Rock to develop such casinos. We are pleased that Rock chose such a well established and reputable management company, stated Lyle Berman, CEO of Lakes. Caesars has a rich history of casino gaming and operates some of the best casinos in the United States and we believe this enhances the value of our ownership in these casinos. We currently have the capital and intent to fund the amount required to maintain our ownership position and we look forward to being a part of this business venture in Ohio. added Mr. Berman. Hosted with myphotocloud.comLakes Entertainment state Casino development projects past and future. Current ProjectsRed Hawk Casino In DevelopmentRocky Gap ProposalVicksburg DevelopmentCincinnati DevelopmentCleveland Development Past ProjectsFour Winds Casino ResortCimaron CasinoGrand Casino TunicaGrand Casino CoushattaGrand Casino AvoyellesGrand Casino BiloxiGrand Casino GulfportGrand Casino HinkleyGrand Casino Mille Lacs MARYLAND Lyle Berman Leon Black in two separate projects in Maryland Caesars Entertainment Corp. is proposing to build a $310 million casino with a steakhouse, buffet, sports bar and 4,000-car garage near M&T Bank Stadium in South Baltimore.The gaming company unveiled details of Harrahs Baltimore to a state slots panel on Monday afternoon at the site of the proposed project along Russell Street. Caesars owns the Harrahs brand.CBAC Gaming LLC proposed in September to build the casino slated to include 3,750 machines.Members of CBAC include local businessmen Arthur Adler, Michael Bronfein, Anthony Deering and Theo Rodgers.The group hopes to open the casino in the second half of 2013. The state slots panel headed by Greater Baltimore Committee CEO Donald C. Fry must still approve or reject a gaming license for Caesars.Caesars said the project would create the equivalent of 1,225 full-time jobs. Total gaming space would be 110,000 square feet. The steakhouse would seat 125 people, while the buffet could accommodate 400. The project would also include a 5,700-square-foot sports and restaurant and 2,500-square-foot food court. Below are the full details on each of the five bids.Baltimore site:Baltimore City Casino LLC 3,750 slot machinesPrincipals: Charles Hopkins, Erwin Haitzmann, Peter Hoetzinger, Andreas Terler, Margaret Stapleton, Ryan Green, and Lori SteeleCBAC Gaming LLC (Harrahs Baltimore) 3,750 slot machinesPrincipal entities: CR Baltimore Holdings (Rock Gaming Mothership LLC and Caesars Baltimore Investment Company LLC); CVPR Gaming Holdings LLC and STRON-MD Limited PartnershipOfficers: Arthur Adler, Leon Black, Michael Bronfein, Margorie Rodgers Cheshire, Craig Colton, Jonathan Coslet, James Coulter, Matt Cullen, Anthony Deering, Timothy Donovan, Steven Fader, Daniel Gilbert, Jonathan Halkyard, Joshua Harris, Eric Hession, Gary Loveman, Donald Marrandino, John Payne, Karl Peterson, Eric Press, Anthony Rodgers, Theo Rodgers, Marc Rowan, Steven Sibel, Belinda Stronach, Jinlong Wang, and Christopher WilliamsRocky Gap site:Landow Partners LLC 500 slot machinesPrincipal: Nathan LandowEvitts Resort LLC 850 slot machinesPrincipals: William Correa, Lyle Berman, Tim Cope, and Enrique MelendezAllegany Entertainment Group/Potts Gaming LLC 200 slot machinesPrincipals: Vincent Tagliabracci, Tom Aro, John Jagiela, Frank Shunock, and Craig Potts How The Casino cartels are financing the deals: ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Marylands slot machine commission voted 6-0 on Friday to reject a proposal to bring slot machines to western Marylands Rocky Gap State Park. Don Fry, the commissions chairman, said the proposal, by Landow Partners LLC, failed to provide detailed information that is required about how they would finance the casino. We never received a full financial plan or business plan that met the requirements as set forth in the (request for proposal), Fry said after the vote. Fry said Landows proposal included a request to borrow about $25 million through state bonds for the venture. Were not in the position to offer state bonds as part of the deal, Fry said. We have no authority to ask the state, or rely on the state, to issue additional state bonds to fund what this project would be. Think back to Jstat and how Harrahs now Caesars Entertainment was no so coinsidentally purchased the day after the UIGEA: Apollo Managements Black fingerprints are in this indictment, but nothing stuck to Teflon Leon. The money invested from CalPERS/CalSTRS was bundled into the Harrahs/Caesars Entertainment (Hamlet Holdings) buyout in Jan. 2008. Apollo Investment Fund L.P. VI and the 10% ownership of Apollo Management by Californias public employees pension funds assisted in buying Harrahs/Caesars are shown in the SEC filing. Caesars Entertainment later extended much of its debt obligations to 2015 and required teachers and law enforcement pensions to take a haircut in the process. The billions lost to Caesars Entertainment wont be known until then. Who allowed Californias teachers and public workers to be owners of the world largest casino? Cleveland Casinos set to open:The vote came after the commission spent 30 minutes with their legal counsel prior to the public meeting.Commission chair Jo Ann Davidson told ONN that this marks a critical day in the history of gaming in Ohio.Todays vote clears the way for the Cleveland casino to open on May 14th. It will be the first full gambling facility in Ohio.Rock Ohio Caesars wired a required $50 million fee to the state last night. In addition, they paid $3 million in licensing fees.Last month Cullen and his business partners, including Dan Gilbert, passed a background investigation conducted by the state More on Cleveland CasinoOhio Casino Control Commission during a two-hour presentation about his companys vision for the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, scheduled to open in May.But Gilbert, who also is a majority owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, answered questions from the commission over a $60,000 unsecured loan he personally made to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2009. Kilpatrick owes that city more than $800,000 from a criminal case that forced him out of office in 2008.Gilbert told the commission the loan was poor judgment in hindsight. Gilbert never faced criminal charges over the loan, and investigators determined it was not part of an extortion or bribery scheme. Spectrum also cleared for a license another business partner in the deal, Lake Ohio Development CEO and former world poker champion Lyle Berman. Bermans company will own 10 percent of the Cleveland casino. Tie to New State Casinos and People backed by Las Vegas MAPP contends that 40% of tribal profits goes to Lyle Berman and his management company (former owner of Berman Buckskin) and his non-Indian management group. The remaining 60% of the profits go to the tribal leaders who take it for their personal gain, and then distribute some to the reservation members in the form of services and a $500 check at Christmas. Even with supposed millions in casino profits, Hill contends that the Mille Lacs reservation has no chemical dependency half-way houses, little or no program in the schools to keep kids off drugs, no shelters for abused children, and only five foster homes.In addition, MAPP contends that the Tribe has borrowed millions of dollars from Berman for start-up costs; a debt that may take decades to pay back. MAPP members argue that the casinos are making millionaires out of a few corrupt leaders, and are not benefiting most Indians. MAPP is trying to get the Tribal Council to agree to a referendum on how casino profits should be spent and distributed. MAPP wants improved services, especially for chemical dependency and childrens programs, and a more substantial per capita payment plan than the current $500 per member per year.According to Hunting and Angling Club President Howard Hanson, Indian groups like MAPP are vitally important to provide internal policing of tribal governments, because the U.S. government gets involved only when violations and criminal activity become flagrant enough to warrant making a federal case. North CarolinaIntroducing Vegas style gambling at Cherokee Casino a safe bet When the N.C. Senate reconvenes on Sept. 12 they will likely be voting on whether or not to ratify an amended gaming compact between the state and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians that would allow for live table games at Harrahs Cherokee Casino & Hotel resort. The North Carolina General Assembly passed a Joint Resolution (938) in July that declared which legislation and bills would be considered in September. Delaware Delaware Still Lobbying for SportsbooksThe State of Delaware has long been trying to enact legislation that would allow gambling on sports as a way to raise much needed revenue. Delaware is the only state east of the Mississippi River that is, under federal law, allowed to offer this type of gambling. There are three other states, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada that have laws pre-dating the federal governments ban on sports betting, which allow them to utilize this type of wagering. Of those, only Nevada does take full advantage of the law. Gary Ward, a lobbyist for International Sports Link, Inc., said that, the estimated annual revenues of $70 million are conservative. Ward said he would like to see sports betting expanded to beyond the confines of the three established racinos currently in operation in Delaware. South Carolina U.S. Says Indictments Expose Money-Laundering Scheme The man accused of being the ringleader of the money-laundering operation, Stephen A. Saccoccia of Cranston, R.I., was arrested in Geneva, said Lincoln C. Almond, the United States Attorney for Rhode Island. The Government will seek Mr. Saccoccias extradition. Most of those indicted will face charges of racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering, Mr. Almond said, and if convicted, the ringleaders could face life in prison without parole. Laundered $500 Million Mr. Almond said that in the past two years the operation disguised the source of up to $500 million for the cocaine cartels based in Cali and Medellin, Colombia. The investigation grew from a previous one that uncovered a $1.1 billion money-laundering operation in New York, Miami and Los Angeles in 1989, Customs Commissioner Carol B. Hallett said at a news conference in Washington today. Aquasino Partners of South Carolina run Sun Cruz Casinos of Abramoff fame. New owners buy Sun Cruz, sending casino boat to SC New owner of Sun Cruz has ties to money launderer. Mollicones mania for deal-making took its toll on his staff. His erratic moves frequently drove his property manager, Diana C. Dumin, to tears. His accountant, Stephen R. Zito, anguished over books that would not balance. His bank vice president, Peter J. Iannuccilli, scrambled to keep up with his frenetic boss. Heritage Loan had always had its quirks. But without Puppy Dogs disciplined hand, the bank just went to hell. Every few days, prosecutors say, David Izzi and Kenneth Saccoccio of Cranston carried in suitcases crammed with $10s, $20s and $50s. The bills were sometimes covered with cocaine residue. A bank employee would take the money downstairs, count it and send a check to a metals company. The money was from drug sales on the streets of America. The notorious Cali drug cartel used Heritage and a string of businesses around the world to help obscure the moneys origins. Prosecutors would later charge that Mollicone, Iannuccilli and Raymond Marotto, a branch manager, were members of an international money-laundering ring . Mollicone turned to Fleet. Robert Weisberg, President Fleet He applied for a $3.5 million, short-term loan. He told Michael Patch, the commercial loan officer, that he needed the money to pump up the balance sheet to make the bank more attractive to potential investors. Fleet approved the loan. Mollicone used the money to buy a Fleet certificate of deposit in Heritages name. When Ziroli returned, Mollicone showed him the $3.5 million CD. He didnt tell the examiner that the money was just a loan. Instead, he showed him a CD statement from Fleet, which said nothing about the origins of the money. When the examination was over, Mollicone paid back Fleet and tossed the loan records in a box in the basement. Fleet says it didnt know Mollicone was going to use the loan to fool the state examiners. The banks spokesman said the loan was a perfectly good and legitimate transaction. The bank has declined to discuss the loan in detail. (AP) MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) The Sun Cruz name will return to the South Carolina coast when new owners send a casino boat to operate out of Little River.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Saturday that the Aquasino is expected to sail from Miami next week. The company plans to hire about 160 workers and should be ready for gambling cruises before the end of the month. The Aquasino can hold 600 passengers and is about three times the size of the old Sun Cruz boat. The plan is for two daily trips, costing passengers $10 each plus additional costs for food and drinks. Owner Bob Weisberg of Highland Park Real Estate Development says he expects the boat to take over the Sun Cruz name. Sun Cruz operated gambling cruises out of Little River before filing for bankruptcy in December. PennsylvaniaRivers Casinos Pittsburgh Government watchdogs and antigambling groups say the Zappalas quiet involvement gives the appearance of undue influence. That perception, they said, breeds public distrust of the courts that hear cases involving the gaming industry. What connections does a Supreme Court justice have to bring to an organization that does things that sure look a lot like lobbying? The obvious answer and it might not be the right one is to lobby the court, said Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. If you hire somebody like that, youre hiring him for his connections. It sure looks like the gaming folks wanted somebody who has played with the Supreme Court and also has connections with the Legislature. Hes the perfect go-between. Mr. Zappala has close ties to prominent lawmakers, including former Sen. Vince Fumo who wrote the state gaming law. He presided at Mr. Fumos second wedding and wrote a letter on his behalf to the judge who last year sentenced him to 55 months in prison after a federal corruption conviction. Mr. Zappala declined to comment and Mrs. Zappala Peck did not respond to telephone messages left last week. It seems to me that theyre doing a pretty good job of trying to remain invisible, but the stench is great, said Dianne M. Berlin, coordinator of the antigaming coalition CasinoFreePA. Gaming interests try to keep this kind of thing under the carpet so people dont really know how much has been tainted in our state. More on Rivers Casinos If what were hearing from legal circles bears out, the other justices are probably going to feel disrespected, too, if Justice Joan Orie Melvin is indicted by the Allegheny County district attorneys office. Some legal sources in Pittsburgh and the state judiciary speculate that she will be indicted in connection with the ongoing investigation of her sisters. A cloud has been hanging over Justice Orie Melvin since spring, when Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. filed theft of services charges against state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, and Janine Orie, the chief administrative judicial assistant in Justice Orie Melvins court office. Judges and lawyers weve talked to have expressed great uneasiness with the situation. While the sources weve spoken to mostly Democrats, by the way have no love for Justice Orie Melvin, theyve made it clear that Mr. Zappala has serious perception problems in the legal community outside of Pittsburgh in this case. There are all sorts of loose connections here. Mr. Zappalas father is a former Supreme Court justice who now works for the Pennsylvania Casino Association. A Senate panel including Jane Orie questioned Mr. Zappalas father about his role with the trade association at a hearing in February. The district attorneys brother, Gregory, was the co-owner of the juvenile detention center at the heart of the Luzerne County judicial scandal, although he has never been charged or accused of any wrongdoing. Justice Orie Melvin has been vocal about the Luzerne County scandal. Focus on Family Jack Abramoff Bilking and colluding against Indian Casinos On the February 17 broadcast of his radio program, Focus on the Family president James C. Dobson and Tom Minnery, the organizations vice president of public policy, sought to fend off questions arising from reports of their alleged collusion with convicted felon and former gambling industry lobbyist Jack Abramoff in a scheme to shut down competition to his clients casinos. While both Dobson and Minnery deny working with Abramoff, email exchanges between Abramoff and associates Ralph Reed and Michael Scanlon appear to contradict Dobson and Minnerys claim that Focus on the Familys activities in opposition to the expansion of a Louisiana casino had nothing to do with requests from Abramoff or Reed. More efforts to stifle Indian Casinos The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments surrounding an effort to shut down an existing casino because the tribe failed to meet the deadline for federal recognition. David Patchak sued to stop the opening of the casino by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe, near Grand Rapids. Patchak challenged placement of land in a trust for the tribe, saying the move was illegal since the tribe was not recognized by the government in 1934 when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed. The government and the tribe argued the suit should be dismissed because federal law bars lawsuits attempting to overturn a decision to take title to lands in trust for tribes. The United States has not waived its sovereign immunity from suits challenging its title to Indian trust lands, Justice Department lawyer Eric D. Miller said. Some Supreme Court justices seemed troubled by the timing of the case, noting that the casino is already opened. In South Carolina, Circuit Judge Ernest Kinard ruled against the Catawba Indian Nation in their lawsuit against the state and top law enforcement officials about the tribes gaming rights. The Catawba Indian Nation sued South Carolina in January, arguing a 1993 settlement with the state and federal governments allows the reservation to have gambling. But the state said that that gambling cant begin on the boats until they reach international waters and specifically prohibits any casino-like gambling in areas controlled by South Carolina. Alabama Indian TribesThe Department of Interiors recent actions represent a complete disregard for fundamental principles of states rights and an arrogant lack of respect for the people of Alabama, King said. Interior Department spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said officials in Washington had not yet seen the suit, but the department does not comment on pending litigation. Tribe attorney Robert McGhee said the tribe was disappointed the attorney general chose to go to court instead of sitting down with the tribe to discuss gambling. The tribe is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but would be affected by the outcome. California Indian CasinosINLAND EMPIRE, CA Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission on Monday asking to close the Soboba Casino until the Tribal Council allows unrestricted access by law enforcement authorities onto the reservation to enforce Californias criminal statutes. MACAU China Wynn VS OkadaWynn and Okadas spat burst into the public spotlight in January, when the Hong Kong-based businessman sued Wynn, intending to gain access to records surrounding a $135 million donation the company made to the University of Macau. Okada, Wynn Resorts largest shareholder, sued Wynn Resorts in January for denying him information about the donation, which he called inappropriate. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is looking informally into the issue.Wynn director could face Macau bribery chargesUS-based Wynn Resorts bought out its largest shareholder, asked him to quit the board and filed a lawsuit in Nevada State against Okada and two of his companies for breach of fiduciary duty and related offenses.After a year-long investigation led by former Nevada governor Robert Miller and Louis Freeh, the ex-director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wynn Resorts said it found more than three dozen instances over a three-year period in which Mr. Okada and his associates engaged in improper activities () in apparent violation of U.S. anti-corruption laws. Note: Louis Freeh is ex FBI director and is part of Fair Play USA astro turf Grass Roots movement and with Tom Ridge. Louis is somewhat of a cleaner and sent wherever corrupt companies need their messes cleaned up. He was recently hired by Penn State to clean up their Sandusky child molestation rape. Wynn Resorts gets Macau government approval for Cotai casino development Wynn Macau Ltd. said the government of the southern Chinese gambling enclave published formal approval of a land transfer, paving the way for construction to begin on the 21 hectare (51 acre) site.U.S. billionaire Steve Wynn, the founder, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, said the Cotai development is the single most important project in his companys history.The company gave no other details about the projects approval, which has been long awaited by investors. Domain Seizures part 5 In defence or Ray BitarPoker Domain Seizures Part 4 Jack Abramoffs Playbook used by Covington and BurlingDomain Seizures Part 3Domain Seizures Part 2Domain Seizures Part 1 addendumDomain Seizures Part 1 Editors Note: These opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Pokerbloggs.com Play Online Poker Poker Blog Copyright 2008 – 2012 Pokerbloggs.comSubscribe to PokerBloggs.com

Lord of the Grind

admin — Sun, 06 May 2012 04:54:10 +0000

Lord of the Grind
Starting March 1st, 2012 Want a seat as a Knight of the Round Poker Table? Pass one of the infamous Lord of the Grind monthly poker grinder trials and claim your rewards and honorary seat . The Lord of the Grind Challenge Pokertrials can be mastered in 4 levels of difficulty: Collect points every day and reach yourtargeted Lord of the Grind Shield. As a reward you’ll get a pending bonus and some cash also! Please click here to visit Titan Poker Promotion Date: 06 March 2012 Subscribe to this poker promotions feed

Improved VIP Club Features Daily Upgrades

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:54:22 +0000

Improved VIP Club Features Daily Upgrades
Posted by Steven, May 2, 2012 To become a VIP player at Titan Poker and receive VIP benefits, you need to earn a certain number of Points during a calendar month. The more Points you earn, the higher your VIP level will be and the more benefits you will receive. The newly improved Titan VIP Club recognizes you for your game play and youll be awarded a higher VIP status as soon as youre eligible. This is because the Titan VIP Club features daily upgrades, and players do not need to wait until the first of the following month to achieve their appropriate VIP level. Daily VIP upgrades are just one of the features of the new program. The main improvement is that players receive Club Points according to their VIP level in real time, again removing the need to wait until the beginning of the following month. The higher ones VIP level, the higher the players Club Point Multiplier. Club Points can be exchanged for cash bonuses and tournament entries in the exclusive VIP Store. Players at VIP Bronze status receive one Club Point for every Titan Status Point they earn, while at the top level, players with VIP Titanium and Titan Annual Diamond VIP status receive 2 Club Points for every Titan Status Point they earn. Other benefits in the revised VIP Club include Monthly Cash benefits for casual players, $20,000 worth of VIP freeroll tournaments, and the Titan Annual Diamond VIP status itself, which recognizes the top players and guarantees them top benefits on a yearly basis. Titan Pokers daily VIP upgrades will greatly benefit not only new players, but all players who regularly frequent the cash tables and tournaments.

Interview with Vanessa Rousso

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:00:12 +0000

Interview with Vanessa Rousso
by Steve Marzolf As a lawyer, poker pro and self-described “huge dork,” Vanessa Rousso has made a name for herself in tournament poker, earning more than $3.7 million since 2006. Lately, she’s been repping for PokerStars and running poker “boot camps” to raise up the next crop of winning players. We called Vanessa up to talk about her tactics for surviving – and thriving – in the high-pressure world of large-buy-in tournaments. So you’re primarily a tournament player? I would say I’m only a tournament player. I can play a cash game or two. But to be honest with you, I play so many tournaments as it is, that if I play cash games too, it’s just too much poker. I like to have balance in my life, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to play tournaments, cash games and do all the other things I like to do. Mike Matusow was complaining to us that high-buy-in tourneys have gotten too risky to profit on – what do you think of that statement? My results are skewed toward high buy-ins. I find that in the smaller buy-ins, I don’t do as well. The higher the buy-in, the more pressure and the better I play. I guess my own particular strategies are more suited to high-buy-in events against better players. So, for me, I’d rather play fewer events that are higher buy-in. What do you think it is about your style that matches up so well with those events? I think it’s probably rooted in logical ability. Basically, the higher the buy-in, the deeper the chip stacks, right? So, there’s more opportunity for telling stories with your bets and raises, and there’s more opportunity for tricking and trapping your opponents. In smaller buy-ins, you have to play more ABC optimally and just exploit the mistakes your opponents are making. At the higher levels, you’re not really waiting for your opponents to make errors – you’re more trying to trick and trap them. So it’s a little bit more of a mind game. I guess I don’t have the patience to play the ABC right way that I should in the smaller buy-ins, and then in the bigger buy-ins, tricking other thinking opponents is enough of a challenge that I give it my A-plus effort every time. But you cut your teeth playing sit-n-go’s, right? Well, I started off playing on the internet for free when I was in college, and then when I turned 21, I started playing live – that was when I was in law school in Miami. The first casino I played at was the Seminole Hard Rock down there, which had sit-n-go’s. I’d play on the weekends, and that’s how I built up my first bankroll. Why did sit-n-go’s work for you? They really had a definable, optimal strategy. Once you figure them out, there are only so many dynamics that can come up in one 10-person, set-blind-structure, $150-buy-in game. There’s just not that many ways it can go down. It took me a couple weeks to figure it out, but once I did, it was a formula that I could apply to that situation. And it was pretty consistent at making money. For beginners who want to follow in your footsteps, what sit-n-go advice do you have for them? I’m really big into reading the books and preparing for poker the same way you would for any money-making opportunity. People don’t just jump into investment banking without any schooling about it. I read like 30 books in a couple months before I started. Also, you need to be a lot more patient than people think you need to be. People come in to play, and they try to take advantage of the low blind levels to play hands that are a little more speculative. But really, the chips are worth next to nothing when the table is still 9- or 10-handed. For instance, many people may find that they double up or even triple up early on in a match, but then don’t even make the top three. Because that early on, those chips just aren’t worth anything. Therefore risking chips to accumulate those early chips isn’t worth it. It’s profitable to play much, much tighter than you think in the early stages. Once your career got moving, was there a moment when things really came together for you? I think it was when I came in 7th in the $25,000 buy-in WPT main event back in 2006. It was the first time I’d taken a shot on the pro circuit, and it worked out. I won a quarter-million dollars, and that pretty much launched my career. It gave me the confidence to continue playing the circuit. Then later that year I won another 400-some thousand in various events. So 2006 was really the big year for me. Can you describe the processes running in your mind when you’re at a game like that and trying to get a read on your opponents? Getting a read all boils down to two categories – are they comfortable or uncomfortable? Because, if they have a good hand and they’re an experienced player, that’s a situation where they’re going to be super-comfortable. Good players have had aces a million times, so their hands aren’t trembling at aces anymore – it’s just something that makes them feel confident. Whereas even a good player can get nervous when they’re in on a big bluff, because that’s a situation that’s less in their control. On the flip side, inexperienced players will be a lot more uncomfortable with good hands because they’re not used to getting aces, kings, queens. The adrenaline’s been released. And since beginners tend to think poker is a lot more about bluffing, they can actually look pretty comfortable holding nothing. Good players, though, know how easy it is to get caught bluffing. So, if you can put your opponent into the comfortable/uncomfortable category, and then determine whether or not they’re an experienced player, it can really help you decide whether they have a hand. Is this the kind of stuff you get into during your poker boot camps? Yeah. I break down tournament strategy into a logical formula and give people guidelines to follow. Rather than vague principles, I give them specific strategies to follow. Mostly, I try to simplify the extremely complex game of tournament poker. Some of the things they can expect to learn are how to use “M” in hand selection; I cover some advanced reading techniques; I cover some game theory and poker stuff, as well. If anyone’s interested, they can get more info at www.bigslickbootcamp.com.

888 Poker $8 Free

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:54:09 +0000

888 Poker $8 Free
The offer of $8 free directly from 888 Poker is available once again. This offer is for all new players that sign up to their poker room, and no deposit is required. Simply go to this page at 888 Poker to get started claiming your free money. The procedure is quite simple, and you should get details by email shortly after you have opened your poker account. Remember, the 888 site also has a sportsbook if you want to do some Grand National betting. Related posts: Free Poker Money at Poker 770 now $50 free Written by admin Filed Under $8 Free Tagged as , $8 Free, 888 Poker, direct from poekr room, ended free money offers, free bonus, free poker money, no deposit required, social networks for poker, WSOP, WSOP package

The Weekly Turbo: Dwan, Laak and Cates Added to Premier League, WSOPE Schedule, and More

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 03:18:36 +0000

The Weekly Turbo: Dwan, Laak and Cates Added to Premier League, WSOPE Schedule, and More
March 11 2012, Brett Collson Related Articles The Nightly Turbo: WSOP Europe Schedule, SuperStar Showdown Betting Odds, and More The Poker Pac Invades the APT The Year in Poker: February, 2008 Related Tournaments Related Players Share It Tags Premier League Poker, WSOP, WSOPE, bwin, Partygaming, Party Poker, PokerStars, Viktor Blom, Isaac Haxton, Ray Bitar, Full Tilt Poker, Everleaf Gaming Print Did you miss any of the top poker news stories this week? Well you’ve come to the right place to get caught up. We’re covering the latest additions to the loaded PartyPoker Premier League lineup, the schedule for the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe, and more. Poker Tournaments Truly a Premier League As if Erik Seidel, Patrik Antonius, Vanessa Selbst, Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz and Tony G didn’t already provide enough star power, PartyPoker announced on Wednesday that Tom Dwan, Phil Laak and Dan “Jungleman” Cates have been added to the $125,000 buy-in PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker V Main Event from April 4 through 10 in Vienna, Austria. The 16-player event is part of the World Poker Tour Vienna festivities and will award the winner with a massive top prize plus entry into the $25,000 WPT World Championship at Bellagio. The event will showcase the customary Premier League format, with the top three point earners from each eight-player group advancing to the final table, and the fourth and fifth seeds in each group squaring off in a series of heads-up matches for seats at the eight-handed finale. The Big Game, Premier League, and a WPT event all in one place and all at one time? Vienna here we come, Laak told the PartyPoker Blog. The Big Game is a 48-hour cash game you say? Well then, I had better stay up for two days before we get started otherwise it just wouldnt be fair. Read more on the story at PokerNews.com. WSOP Going Back to Cannes On Thursday, the World Series of Poker released the schedule for the 6th Annual World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes, France. The event will be held at the Casino Barrire de Cannes Croisette and the Htel Majestic Barrire from Sept. 21 through Oct. 4, 2012. WSOP Europe will be offering seven bracelet events in 2012, kicking off with a 2,700 buy-in six-handed no-limit holdem event starting on Friday, Sept. 21. As usual, the series will be headlined by the flagship 10,450 buy-in Main Event, won last year by New York poker pro Elio Fox for $1,927,660. We cant wait to return to the Cote DAzur in 2012, said WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart. We have moved up the schedule a couple of weeks to take better advantage of the great weather and all Cannes has to offer. Ask anyone who attended last year. This tournament is now a certified major championship and the experience is second to none. The media is already speculating on 1,000 players for the Main Event and we will be ready for them. For a look at the full schedule, check out the story at PokerNews.com. WSOP National Championship Added to ESPN Coverage Before the start of the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit tour, the WSOP announced a big change to the format of the WSOP National Championship. The top 100 performers from WSOP and WSOP Europe events during the past two calendar years would be allowed to buy into the event for $10,000 to compete against the top 100 performers from the 2011-12 WSOP Circuit season. On Monday, the WSOP announced the 100 players eligible to take part in the event. Michael Mizrachi, Ben Lamb, Jason Mercier, and many more of poker’s top talents will have a chance to buy into the event for a chance at a gold bracelet and more than $1 million in prizes. This marks the first time we will take the best of the best from all our events to compete against one another to determine a true WSOP National Champion, said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. The three-day event will be filmed by ESPN and aired as part of the WSOP coverage later this year. For more information, read the story at PokerNews.com. Poker Business Ray Bitar Speaks Nearly 11 months after being indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on Black Friday, Tiltware CEO and Full Tilt Poker board member Ray Bitar finally broke his silence in an interview with PokerStrategy on Tuesday. Bitar requested that the interview be focused on his apology to all those affected by the events of Black Friday, but he also touched on the repayment of players and his dealings with the Department of Justice. I have been fully dedicated to this cause and am doing everything possible for a beneficial outcome, he told PokerStrategy. “As a manager of Tiltware, I have been cooperating fully with the DOJ so they can complete their investigation,” Bitar continued. “Beyond that, I spend a good deal of my time making sure that FTP survives and that the players get repaid. I know that these events have hurt a lot of innocent people and its my main job to make things right. I continue to work on these issues, day and night until we resolve them.” For a closer look at the interview, plus comments from Groupe Bernard Tapie lawyer Behnam Dayanim about the pending FTP/GBT deal, check out the story at PokerNews.com. Bwin.Party Applies for Nevada Gaming License Bwin.party’s return to the U.S. gaming market had been rumored for a while, but it seems the company has officially submitted an application to return to its old stomping ground. On Wednesday, Cardplayer reported that world’s largest publicly traded online gambling company officially applied for a Nevada internet gaming license with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Last October, bwin.party joined forces with MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming in an “anticipatory” move for legalized online gambling in the U.S. Under the arrangement, PartyPoker will provide and maintain online poker software for both gaming companies, and bwin.party will own 65 percent of the new company. MGM will hold 25 percent ownership and Boyd will own 10 percent. PokerNews reached out to bwin.party on Thursday but a spokesperson declined to comment. Read the story at PokerNews.com. ShuffleMaster Acquires Ongame Network On Monday, gaming provider Shuffle Master announced it would be entering a 19.5 million agreement to purchase the Ongame Network from bwin.party services. Shuffle Master is best known for providing automatic card shufflers and roulette chip sorters to casinos throughout the world, but the company said this new acquisition will help its strategic expansion into the online poker market in areas with regulated online gaming. The company will remain a business-to-business company and won’t provide gaming content directly to players. “Our acquisition of Ongame will allow Shuffle Master to offer a scalable, proven and secure solution for online poker, Gavin Isaacs, CEO of Shuffle Master, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I am confident that Ongame will fit seamlessly into our ongoing interactive initiatives of delivering our renowned brands to online gaming operators, partner web sites, social networks and mobile platforms. Read more at PokerNews.com. Bally, Aristocrat Prepare for U.S. Online Poker Market On Tuesday, gaming companies Bally Technologies and Aristocrat Technologies announced a partnership designed to offer their poker networks as part of a business-to-business online gaming solution for operators in the U.S. Under the alliance, Bally and Aristocrat will secure arrangements with leading poker providers, who will then be integrated into Ballys and Aristocrats iGaming platforms Bally through its recent acquisition of Chiligamings iGaming platform, and Aristocrat through its exclusive collaboration with GameAccount Network. By teaming up, Bally and Aristocrat can source and integrate with the strongest online poker product, specifically tailored for this market, which can help our customers maintain their leadership position in both land-based and on-line gaming, said Bally Technologies CEO Richard Haddrill. Read more at PokerNews.com. Everleaf Sanctioned by LGA According to a brief statement on its website, the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta (LGA) has issued sanctions against Everleaf Gaming after discovering a number of irregularities in the gaming company’s operation. The LGA did not signify why sanctions have been placed on Everleaf, but the announcement comes one month after Everleaf Gaming was forced to cease operations in the U.S. “Everleaf Gaming is being monitored closely to ensure its operation respects Maltese law,” the LGA said in the statement. Everleaf, which has more than 100 skins on its poker network, made a hasty exit from the U.S. on Feb. 9 after receiving a cease and desist order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The company has since released an official statement confirming that U.S. player funds were seized by U.S. authorities. Everleaf stated that U.S. customer funds would be refunded in full and players would be contacted about how and when that process would begin. As of Friday, there’s been no word of any Everleaf players being refunded. Read the LGA’s statement at lga.org. Operators Pre-approved for Spanish Online Gaming Licenses According to a report by eGamingReview, 80 percent of operators that applied for a Spanish online gaming license have been told by regulators that they should expect license approvals in coming weeks. More than 60 operators submitted applications for Spanish gaming licenses before the Dec. 14, 2011, deadline, according to reports. The official list of applicants wasn’t revealed, but PokerStars, bwin.party, 888, Ladbrokes, and even Groupe Bernard Tapie were among the companies to have shown interest in the space. The Spanish National Gambling Commission is expected to issue its first rounds of licenses by June, allowing operators to offer games to residents of Spain while paying a 25 percent tax on net income. The online poker player pool will initially be segregated, but changes could be made beginning next year to allow players to compete against other EU nations. eGamingReview has more (paywall warning). Poker Players PokerStars SuperStar Showdown Rematch In December 2010, before he was even revealed to be Isildur1, PokerStars Pro Viktor Blom faced off against Isaac “philivey2694″ Haxton in the very first Superstar Showdown on PokerStars. Railbirds of all nationalities and bankroll sizes flocked to the tables and watched as Haxton took Blom for $41,701 over the course of their 2,500-hand match across four $50/100 no-limit hold’em tables. On Sunday, March 11, Blom will get a change to avenge his loss. Blom and Haxton are set to play another 2,500-hand match, but this time the stakes have been raised to $100/200. And now, Blom goes in gleaming with confidence having won eight of his last 10 SuperStar Showdowns. SuperStar Showdown Breakdown Date Opponent Profit/Loss Record Dec. 19, 2010 Isaac “philivey2694″ Haxton -$41,701 0-1 Jan. 2, 2011 Antanas Tony G Guoga +$44,280 1-1 Jan. 30, 2011 Daniel w00ki3z Cates +$51,196 2-1 Feb. 13, 2011 Eugene MyRabbiFoo Katchalov +$111,750 3-1 Feb. 27, 2011 Attila DodgyFish72 Gulcsik +$10 4-1 March 20, 2011 Daniel KidPoker Negreanu +$150,000 5-1 March 27, 2011 Daniel KidPoker Negreanu -$26,500 5-2 April 3, 2011 Scott urnotindangr Palmer -$5,425 5-3 April 10, 2011 Scott urnotindangr Palmer +$66,607 6-3 April 24, 2011 “Mastermixus” +$1,279 7-3 June 19, 2011 Rui “PepperoniF” Cao +$150,000 8-3 Total SuperStar Showdown Profit: $501,496 Can Haxton cool the Swede’s heater? You can watch on PokerStars starting at 1200 ET (1700 GMT) on Sunday. For more information, visit the PokerStars Blog. Daniel’s Weekly Rant Daniel Negreanu was back with another video blog on Wednesday, and with a new HD camera to boot! This week, Daniel talks about Epic Poker, Jean Robert Bellande, Phil Ivey, and his new reality TV crush. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! Follow Brett Collson on Recent Articles World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Day 1: Overton, Buzgon Lead Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Moon Kim Wins 2012 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star 2012 PokerStars.net APPT Seoul Day 2: Daisuke Endo Leads Into Final Day Introducing The Muck Most Popular This Week Dwan, Cates and Laak Join PartyPoker.com Premier League V Lineup Five Thoughts: Lindgren’s Losses, O’Dwyer on Fire, and More Ray Bitar Apologizes; GBT Lawyer Behnam Dayanim “Reasonably Optimistic” The Nightly Turbo: New Jersey Talks Online Poker, Laak Dunks Esfandiari, and More EMOP Lisbon Iron Man — 12,000 in Freeroll Prize Packages on Bet Victor Poker Comments