Category: Online Poker

Party Poker Offers $100K to the Player to Achieve World Domination

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Party Poker is holding a special promotion with a $100,000 first prize and tens of thousands of dollars in other cash prizes and freeroll tournament tickets. The promotion, called World Domination, involves collecting playing cards representing different cities and countries in order to win associated prizes. Every card has a prize, and different collections of cards offer prizes as well. Cards are distributed randomly, awarded as players reach set targets in Party Points earnings.

It only takes 10,000 points to get a card, and only 5,000 to get your first card. The more points you earn, the more cards you get. City card prizes range from tickets into a special $1,000 Freeroll to $20 cash. Earn all four city cards from the same country and get anywhere from $75 to $1,500 cash. Earn all the countries on a particular continent and get from $5,000 to $20,000 cash. And get all 5 continents – Europe, Asia, Oceania and North and South America – and you win World Domination and receive the $100,000 first prize.

World Domination Freerolls will take place September 4 – 6, with 9 freerolls, each offering a prize pool ranging from $1K to $10K. Earn more than one entry into any given World Domination Freeroll and Party Poker will give you 5 Party Points instead, helping you climb higher toward that next target prize.

There are 72 countries in all in the Party Poker World Domination promotion. The contest ends either when someone claims World Domination or August 31, whichever one happens first.

Bodog Poker Now Offering 110% First Deposit Bonus Up To $1,100

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New players at Bodog Poker can now earn as much as a 110% match on their initial deposits into a Bodog Poker real money account, up to a maximum bonus amount of $1,100.

Here’s how it works: players download the poker software and register for their new Bodog account. Then they make their first deposit. Instantly, they receive a 10% match on that amount. Then they proceed to play at Bodog Poker, as they do so accumulating poker points. At certain target levels of poker points reached, Bodog Poker will issue another cash bonus on top of any bonuses already awarded. With the first 100 points, for example, players earn $10. After 500 poker points, players get an additional $40. The targets and awards increase from there until accumulating 10,000 points and getting the final $400 bonus for a cumulative $1,100 maximum possible bonus.

Players can earn poker points through a number of different methods. All players earn poker points at a rate of 1 point per 60 minutes for every hour they spend playing at the site. Additionally, tournament players earn three more points for every dollar they spend in fees. And ring game players earn poker points based on how much they contribute to the rake taken from each pot.

These are the only redemption requirements for this bonus. Bodog Poker does not impose any additional rollover or play-through requirements on bonus money earned in this particular promotion. That means you can withdraw the bonus cash as soon as you earn it. But then you’d be missing out on all the fun of playing at Bodog Poker, of course.

Ray Bitar out as Full Tilt Poker CEO

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After weeks of conflicting news on the Full Tilt Poker situation, two startling developments are beginning to unfold.

First, rumors are circulating that there is a new captain leading the ship. At the most recent board of directors’ meeting, wanted man Ray Bitar was voted out of his role as CEO. Obviously, this has been a much anticipated move, considering that a new investor would be much more hesitant to save Full Tilt when it is being led by a man running from the feds.

In a possibly related note, rumors are also floating through the net that the Alderney Gambling Control Commission will be revoking the suspension on Full Tilt’s license by this weekend. It has been well known that Full Tilt Poker has been working toward this end, and it seems that their goal is finally coming to fruition. It is very likely that this move was made capable due to the removal of Bitar as CEO.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they are made available.

Cake Poker Turbo Gold Cards Return for July

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One of Cake Poker’s most popular promotions, Turbo Gold Cards, returns for another month. With the start of July, Cake Poker players start out once again on an even playing as the vie to earn Gold Cards from the brand new July 2011 deck. And since this is a Turbo Gold Cards promotion, players can earn them twice as fast as normal.

Players earn Gold Cards by playing at Cake Poker cash ring game tables. The more you play, the more Gold Cards you earn. Which Gold Cards you receive each time you earn a new one is left to the luck of draw, as in all good poker, but you can double you chances of getting the cards you need to earn a particular prize when you play between 6:00 – 8:00 GMT, 14:00 – 16:00 GMT and 20:00 to 22:00 GMT. Those are the Turbo Gold Cards hours when players earn twice as many cards at once as they do the rest of the day and night.

There are many things players can do with Gold Cards once you’ve earned them. You can match different combinations of cards to the July 2011 Match & Win game board. Prizes include tournament tickets, cash and Gold Chips, the currency for the Cake Poker player loyalty and rewards program.

You can also trade Gold Cards in for cold, hard cash, putting them up for sale at Cake Poker’s The Exchange where buyers and sellers of Gold Cards can meet up and make a little trade.

Party Poker Abolishes MTT Fees

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In what many are saying is a historic first, a poker site has abolished its multi-table tournament fees. That site is Party Poker and this change – what they’re calling Rake Free Summer – is valid for the remainder of the summer.

Here’s how it will work. During the Party Poker Rake Free Summer, the fees for all MTTs will be added to the tournament’s normal buy-in. So a $100 + $10 event will become a $110 event. While this may seem on the surface not to be a big savings at all, it actually boosts the pot that tournament players will be vying for. Sticking with the above example, instead of paying $100 into the prize pool and $10 into Party Poker’s pocket, you would pay the full $110 into the prize pool, meaning all that money goes right back to the players – to you, if you play your cards right.

Also running this July, 2011 at Party Poker is a $100K freeroll taking place August 7. To earn your ticket, just make a reload deposit using the bonus code 200JULY. That code will also give you a 100% reload bonus on that deposit, up to a maximum bonus of $200.

Don’t forget the Summer Million coming up at Party Poker fast. All this month Party Poker will be running daily Summer Million freeroll qualifiers with $1,000 guaranteed prize pools to boot. And speaking of qualifiers, during the Party Poker Rake Free Summer promotion, any qualifier tournaments that ordinarily have a rake or fee will also no longer have it for the duration of the summer.

Class Action Suit against Full Tilt Poker

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Former United States Full Tilt Poker players have filed a class action lawsuit against just about anyone they could think of associated with Full Tilt Poker.  Filed in the notorious U.S. District Court, South District of New York.  the suit names four plaintiffs (Nick Hammer, Steve Segal, Todd Terry, and Robin Hougdahl).  However, the suit states it is on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated.  The people and companies the suit is filed against is open-ended, and is worded in a way that more defendants can be named at a later date.

Some tidbits to mull over:

Some people specifically named in the suit;  Raymond Bitar, Nelson Burtnick, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius.

For the legal geeks:  “All Defendants, by virtue of their control and ownership of the Full Tilt Companies that comprise the Full Tilt umbrella, and/or their ownership stakes in the umbrella undertaking, are liable for conversion of Plaintiffs’ and class members’ monies and assets (the “property”) held in Plaintiffs’ and class members’ Full Tilt Player Accounts. The Player Accounts and the property therein are currently and wrongfully in the exclusive custody of the Defendants.”

“represent a nation-wide class of Full Tilt account holders residing in the United States . . . Plaintiffs bring suit to demand return of U.S. player funds and for damages . . . U.S. Players’ would never have suffered injury, but for the Defendants’ widespread scheme to commit wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in order to pad their own pockets.”

It remains to be seen what impact this will have on any possible sale/bailout.  It seems odd that no one else seems to be reporting more details or rumors about who these “European Investors” are.   The only information to come out is the LA Times story.  Usually rumors swirl and secrets are never kept well in the poker business.  The lack of new information seems to call into question what is actually going on with that whole story.

As always, Holdem Poker Chat is your source for any breaking news from the poker world.  Check back often for development on this and any other news on your favorite game

Report: Full Tilt Poker Sold

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The LA Times is reporting that European investors are poised to buy a majority stake in Pocket Kings, the parent company of Full Tilt Poker.  So far this is the only report on the matter, but the Times got this quote from Phil Ivey’s lawyer, David Chesnoff  “Mr. Ivey intends to dismiss his lawsuit as he believes Full Tilt is taking steps to see that the players are paid.”   No statements directly from Full Tilt Poker were obtained but the report says “Attorneys close to Full Tilt said that the deal reached Thursday was part of broader negotiations to clear up its legal problems with Alderney and U.S. prosecutors.”

This should be tentative good news for US players with money on Full Tilt Poker.  Any attempt to resurrect the brand should probably include paying players their outstanding balances.  The report does not name the investors in any detail, and does not go as far as to say that US players are guaranteed to be paid.

It seems a bit odd that the LA Times broke this story.  Usually news like this comes from more poker-centric sources.   The story does have a couple inaccuracies.  It states that three sites were “shut down” by the US government.  PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Bet. In one paragraph of the story they correctly mention that those “three” sites still operate outside the US and then in the next paragraph they call them “shut down”.

I am sure more information should become available soon.  Check Holdem Poker Chat for up to the date information

888 Poker Mixes in Casino Games With $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up

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For those who like casino games almost as much as they like poker, 888 Poker presents the $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up.

The 888Poker $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up starts every Thursday. To qualify, players need only play one casino game of their choice at 888 Casino on any given Thursday between midnight and the minute before midnight. That qualifies you to play in the following Saturday’s $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up tournament on 888 Poker. It starts at 17:00 GMT and can be found using the Restricted button under the Tournaments tab.

All eligible players – meaning those who play any online casino game at 888Casino on a Thursday – will be notified of their eligibility for the tournament that Friday. At 17:00 GMT on that Friday, registration will open for the following day’s freeroll tournament. The player pool is capped at 3,000 and it’s first come first served for registration.

You can practice for the $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up at 888 Poker’s Double or Nothing Sit & Go tables. Tables of 8 or 10 players compete until only half the player pool remains, at which point each player remaining gets the buy-in of one of the people who busted out, in essence doubling their money. It’s a low-risk, high-reward way to prepare for your participation in the $1,000 freeroll. Buy-ins start as low as $2.50 + $0.35.

Or whet your chops for an upcoming $1,000 Free Casino Mix-Up by playing in a Private Tournament that you set up with other players you feel comfortable (perhaps confident, even) playing against, at stakes that match your bankroll and risk tolerance.

Full Tilt Poker Servers Down

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The Full Tilt Poker servers are down following the suspension of its Alderney licences.

All real money play throughout the world has been suspended and players who were in the middle of online poker tournaments were booted off the site. Full Tilt Poker’s website says the servers being down is due to “Scheduled Maintenance”. Players who have tried to access the servers are saying they “can not connect”.

This sudden license suspension seems to have caught at least one Full Tilt Poker Pro by surprise,  “Seems like Alderney regulatory body (where ftp’s license is) just shut down ftp. Wow I think?” Tweeted Tom Dwan this morning.

We’ll continue to follow this story for you and bring you updates as they become available.

UPDATE: There is rumor going around that Full Tilt Poker wlil re-open in a few hours and operate without a license. They will remove all Alderney logo’s and edit the Terms and Conditions. They will also having banking issues as no banks or credit card companies will apprive transactions with an unlicensed operator.

Moneybookers has also sent out a message to it’s users stating: As a Moneybookers customer, you already know you are the most important part of our business. We always make sure you receive the safest service. For this reason we have stopped accepting deposits made to Full Tilt Poker.
There are extraordinary circumstances behind this situation which are beyond our control. We will not comment on these, just take appropriate action that protects our customers.

Alderney suspends Full Tilt Poker’s operating licence

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BREAKING NEWS: The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has suspended the licences for Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt is required to suspend all operations from within the jurisdiction immediately.

The AGCC said in a statement this morning: “The decision to suspend these licenses follows a special investigation prompted by the indictments unsealed by US Attorney General’s Office in the Southern District of New York on 15th April 2011, during which grounds were found to indicate that these licensees and their business associates were operating contrary to Alderney legislation.”

From what we are being told the Full Tilt Poker software does not open and for now at least they are closed. There has been no official announcement by Full Tilt Poker.

We’ll have more on this developing situation when we get more details.

Update:

AGCC’s official announcement:

In the matters of:-
VANTAGE LIMITED
OXALIC LIMITED
FILCO LIMITED
And
ORINIC LIMITED

Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has today issued Hearing Notices under Regulation 46 of the Alderney eGambling Regulations, 2009 to the above named companies who collectively trade as FULL TILT POKER.

In addition, AGCC has issued Suspension Notices under Regulation 47 of the Alderney eGambling Regulations, 2009 to the above named companies requiring them to immediately suspend operations.

The above named companies must, until the Suspension Notices are cancelled or the Commissioners of AGCC have reached a determination at the conclusion of the hearing convened in accordance with Regulation 46 of the Alderney eGambling Regulations, 2009 cease to exercise their eGambling licenses, which means that these licensees must from today cease to:-

Register new customers;

Accept deposits from existing customers;

Allow existing customers to withdraw funds that are held in their accounts; and

Permit customers to participate in any form of poker game play or gambling
transaction.

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission will hear the matters contained in the Hearing Notices at a Regulatory Hearing which will commence at 10.00am on Tuesday 26th July, 2011 at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel, 239 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EQ. In the event that there is a change to these details this notice will be amended.

André Wilsenach (Executive Director) Alderney Gambling Control Commission Alderney, Channel Islands
29th June, 2011

2nd UPDATE:

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission will hear the matters contained in the Hearing Notices at a Regulatory Hearing which will commence at 10.00am on Tuesday 26th July, 2011 at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel, 239 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EQ. In the event that there is a change to these details this notice will be amended.
André Wilsenach (Executive Director)
Alderney Gambling Control Commission
Alderney, Channel Islands
29th June, 2011