Category: Online Poker

PartyPoker Promotions for May 2011

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Party PokerPartyPoker is one of the leading online poker rooms. It belongs to PartyGaming, which has recently joined up with Bwin. PartyPoker is licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar. PartyPoker offers an exciting range of promotions for its players. Some of the promotions are standard and are carried forward from month to month. But the more interesting promotions are the topical ones.

WSOP, the biggest land poker extravaganza begins on May 31 in Las Vegas with the Main Event taking place in June. Some of the May promotions at PartyPoker offer WSOP packages. The WSOP 2011 promotion runs right through May. The prizes are $14,000 WSOP packages that include $10,000 WSOP Main Event buy-in, $2,000 spending money and eight nights’ hotel accommodation. In this promotion PartyPoker players can enter through a daily freeroll tournament and work their way up to the WSOP Satellite in which 1 out of 20 players will be given WSOP packages.

The Gladiator is an exciting promotion that runs from May 1 to May 31. PartyPoker has declared different levels of daily targets for loyalty points earned and has designated prizes for players achieving the targets. The prizes are in the form of freeroll tournaments with prize pools ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. Players who earn 1,200 points on each of 30 days will get the grand prize of a WSOP package.

One of the most popular online tournaments at PartyPoker this May will be the $250K Guaranteed Sunday. It will be held every Sunday at 12:45 hours ET. The tournament offers a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000. Players can directly register for the event by paying the buy in of $215. But most PartyPoker players will win entries through a series of low priced qualifiers, some of which are even freerolls. One of the qualifying promotions is the 50 Seat Frenzy, which guarantees 50 seats to the $250K Guaranteed Sunday. The direct buy in for this event is $15. However, there are two qualifiers, one of which is a country specific freeroll and the other is a $2 buy in Saturday morning event.

There are a large number of newbie players at PartyPoker. Especially for them PartyPoker offers a number of freerolls in which they play for free but win cash prizes. In May the combined prize pool of all such freeroll tournaments offered is over $20,000. A large number of these are country specific freerolls, in which players compete with others from the same region. However, the best freeroll promotion is the $1.5K New Player Freeroll. It will be held every Saturday in May. Each event will be capped at 5,000 players and the eligibility criterion is that the player must have made his first deposit in the 60 days before the start of the tournament.

Poker tournaments are not the only promotional events in May. New players are entitled to a 100% welcome bonus up to $/£/€ 500 on their first deposit. Regular players can earn loyalty points called PartyPoints for participating in cash games and tournaments. PartyPoints can then be redeemed for cash.

Carbon Poker Seeks Tourney King of the Month

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Each month Carbon Poker seeks a new Tourney King (and the reigning one seeks to retain his or her seat.) They do this by running a multi-table tournament leaderboard all month that tracks how well the top tournament players that month perform. Carbon Poker keeps two of these leaderboards, one for high-limit tournaments and one for low-limit tournaments. Between the two leaderboards, there’s over $20,000 in cash and other prizes to be won each month.

At the end of the month, the top 250 finishers on each leaderboard will compete in a respective Grand Final tourney from each of which a Tourney King will be selected. In addition to the prize money ($3,000 cash for first place in the high-limit final; $1,500 for first in the low-limit final). Low-limit tournaments include all with buy-ins below $20; high-limit tournaments include all with buy-ins above $20. You can qualify, enter and win both high-limit and low-limit Tourney King contests in any given month. The top 5 finishers in each Grand Final will win a cash award; the 6th through 15th place finishers will win cash plus a satellite entry coupon; the 16th through 50th place finishers will win a satellite entry coupon.

MTT leaderboard points are based on a formula that considers the buy-in you paid for the tournament (with an adjustment for rebuy/addon tournaments), the number of entrants competing and your final position, with a bonus multiplier applied for those making it to a tournament’s final table.

Each month the Carbon Poker Tourney King leaderboard gets wiped fresh and the search begins anew for that month’s kings. In addition to winning cash, the Tourney Kings also win an accolade that appears alongside their avatar everytime they sit in at a Carbon Poker game or tournament thereafter.

Full Tilt Poker Series Goes Ukrainian

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Full Tilt Poker is taking their live poker series to the Ukraine, with three newly scheduled tournaments offering up a total guaranteed prize pool of about $1 million. With the full support of the Ukranian Sport Poker Federation behind it, the inaugural Full Tilt Poker Russia and Ukraine Poker Series will take place July 24 – 31, September 18 – 25 and November 18 – 27 in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev. Buy-ins for these three events range from $1,500 to $2,500 but satellites are running now at Full Tilt Poker offering seats in these events for as little as nothing.

Freeroll satellite qualifiers into the Full Tilt Poker Russia and Ukraine Poker Series started on May 1, 2011 and run three times daily, at 14:00, 17:00 and 20:00 MSK. Each event’s player pool is capped at 1,000. From each of these events, the top 100 players will move on to a weekly freeroll final taking place every Thursday at 19:00 MSK. From each of these final round freerolls, 5 players will win seats in the next scheduled live event in Kiev.

Besides winning seats in these first-ever Full Tilt Poker Russia and Ukraine Poker Series events, satellite winners will also receive live poker lessons from Full Tilt pros Vitaly Lunkin and Nikolay Evdakov.

The first two events on the schedule have $1,500 buy-ins while event #3 is being considered the Grand Final of the inaugural Full Tilt Poker Russia and Ukraine Poker series and therefore has a $2,500 buy-in.

Party Poker Gladiator is Back

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Consistently one of Party Poker’s most popular promotions, The Gladiator is back this May, giving each player the chance to walk away from the table with up to $4,000 in cash and entry into a freeroll tournament with a prize pool of up to $25,000. There’s even a top prize of a World Series of Poker Main Event seat available to the most serious players.

In The Gladiator promotion, players try to earn a target numbers of points for target numbers of days of the month. The higher the points target you hit, the higher the prize. The more days you hit a particular points target, the higher the prize. Prizes start with freeroll entries with prize pools of $2,500; $5,000; $10,000 and $25,000. Surpass those targets and get the $25,000 freeroll entry in addition to a cash prize ranging from $10 to $4,000.

To the most dedicated and determined of Gladiators, PartyPoker will give a WSOP Main Event seat (or a $7,000 cash equivalent) for earning at least 1,200 points per day for 30 out of the 31 days of May.
Qualifying days need not be consecutive, and you start earning prizes immediately as soon as you achieve 5 points per day for at least 5 days of this month’s Gladiator promotion. You’ll earn a cash prize for accumulating at least 5 points per day for at leat 25 days of the promotion or 100 points per day for at least 5 days of the promotion. As you can see, whether you’re game is earning as many points as you can per day or playing for as many days as you can, the Party Poker Gladiator promotion has a way to reward you for it.

Absolute Poker has reached an agreement with the US DOJ

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St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda (May 10, 2011) — Absolute Poker, including the UB (formerly Ultimate Bet) brand, hereafter “Absolute Poker”, issued the following statement today in relation to civil and criminal matters filed in federal court in Manhattan and made public on April 15, 2011:

Absolute Poker has reached an agreement with the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”).  Under the agreement, the US Attorney’s Office has agreed to provide all necessary assurances that third parties may work with Absolute Poker to facilitate the return of funds, currently held by third party processors, to players located in the US. This provision is an important step to returning US player funds.

The Company has also notified the SDNY that it has closed its US-facing operations, and it has agreed to the cessation of real money poker play in the US.  As such, Absolute Poker has not requested the return of its worldwide domain names, www.AbsolutePoker.com, www.UltimateBet.com and www.UB.com, and today’s agreement does not provide for their return. The agreement also provides for the appointment of Monitor, approved by the US Attorney’s Office, to assess the Company’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.

Absolute Poker’s top priority has always been, and remains, the refund of account balances to its U.S. players.  Unfortunately, the Company still faces several legal issues which must be navigated before funds can be paid out to US players. The Company’s US attorneys, Blank Rome LLP, continue to work diligently to resolve these issues, which is a necessary further step to facilitate the return of funds to players.  Player funds, therefore, will not become immediately available for withdrawal as a result of today’s agreement with the DOJ.

A Company spokesperson said: “Today’s signing of the agreement with the DOJ is an important step towards the safe and efficient return of funds to our US players.  We can now move as expeditiously as possible to collect player monies from third party processors as a prelude to establishing proper mechanisms for the return of funds to our US players.  As previously announced, we have already taken specific actions to exit the US market by closing our US-facing operations.  Blank Rome LLP will continue to engage in discussions with the SDNY in order to complete the necessary agreements for the final transfer of frozen fund balances to our US players.  This remains our highest priority.  We will continue to update our players and the poker community, as we move forward to resolve outstanding issues.”

Real Money Online Poker for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch

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Switch Poker launched in late 2010 and has quickly become a favorite amongst apple device users (iPad, iPhone, iPod and iTouch) as the place to play online poker while on the go. Switch Poker is a very simple poker application that runs very smoothly on all mobile smart phones and tablets.

Currently games are limited to Texas Holdem Poker but other variants are in the works. Switch Poker is not designed to be a complete online poker site so don’t expect all the bells and whistles. If you want an online poker site to play on while on while you’re away from your desktop or laptop Switch Poker is the answer.

Switch Poker is now running a unique bonus promotion. Simply deposit €50 and enter deposit code FREEIPOD or deposit €150 and enter deposit code FREEIPAD to claim your gift. Once you reach 60k SPPs for the iPod Touch or 100k SPPs for the iPad they will send you your iPod Touch (RRP €229) / iPad (RRP €499). SPPs are earned automatically by playing on the site. New depositors Only.

Switch Poker is not available in the US.  Visit Switch Poker

888 Poker Goes Social

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In this evolving age of social media, 888 Poker is keeping up by going social itself. Social 888 Poker includes new offerings like Team Poker and PokerCam tables and up to $100,000 in prize money.

Teams Poker takes the live poker tournament experience to the social level by allowing players to form teams with whom to share in their winnings. If you win, your team wins – and vice-versa. Buy-ins for Teams Poker tournaments are as little as 88 cents, with which you can win a share of $1,000 or up to $2,500.

888 Poker is adding new Teams Poker tournaments to the schedule all the time, especially as new teams emerge. Teams Poker Tournaments pit all the members of two teams against one another with the winning player getting half the prize pool and their team splitting the other half. Each team must have at least 100 players, but no more than 1,000.

Cash game players can also go social on 888 Poker by playing Face2Face, as they say, at the site’s new PokerCam Tables. These tables are indicated in the 888Poker lobby by an icon that looks like a webcam. At PokerCam tables you can see your opponents live, just like they were in the same room with you. See their tells, know when they’re bluffing, put them on tilt. Just know they can see you too, so you’d better practice your poker face when you sit down at 888 Poker Face2Face.

888 Poker is even on Facebook and Twitter. And they publish their own 888Poker Wall on the site where members can update their status profiles and video testimonials.

Absolute Poker and UB Drop Poker Pros

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Earlier today Absolute Poker and UB decided to let go of all their sponsored pros. Joe Sebok who was an outspoken front man for the company immediately posted to his blog claiming among other things “The pro’s monies are still tied up on the site as well, so on that level we are all in the same situation as the general poker public.” The poker community at large, especially those on the 2+2 poker forums, have little sympathy for Sebok who used his status with the company and the poker community to make players believe that Absolute Poker and UB were safe places to play. Below is the Press release in it’s entirety.

BLANCA GAMES ISSUES STATEMENT ON PRO PLAYER CONTRACTS

Absolute Poker and UB Part Ways with Poker Pros to Focus on Non-U.S. Market
St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda (May 9, 2011) — Blanca Games Inc. (“Blanca”), operator of online poker rooms Absolute Poker and UB, issued the following statement today:

“Recently, Absolute Poker and UB ceased their U.S.-facing operations due to legal developments in the United States. To ensure the on-going viability of the business, it has been necessary to downsize certain aspects of Absolute Poker’s and UB’s operations.  These efficiency measures have been taken to enable the brands to continue to operate their non-U.S.-facing business.

“These actions are the result of the severe impact of ‘Black Friday’ on the business, and these efficiency measures have negatively affected not only the financial position of the brands, but also their staff and personnel.  Regrettably, the negative effect of ‘Black Friday’ has extended to the Company’s highest profile group of poker professionals, known as ‘Team UB’.  Consequently, Blanca’s executive management team today informed its roster of sponsored pros that, in accordance with the provisions of their agreements, their contracts have been terminated. Each of the ten Team UB pros, plus one player representing Absolute Poker, has received personal notification that their sponsorship arrangement with Blanca’s respective online poker room is now invalid.

“This was a difficult task for Blanca’s management, and we are very disappointed that we have been compelled to sever ties with our sponsored pros.  Over the years, the Company has been successful in gathering a group of young, extraordinarily talented and brand-appropriate poker professionals who have proudly sported its logos.  We are truly saddened that circumstances have dictated this course of action, and we regret that we are no longer in a position to partner with our sponsored pros, or to provide them with a source of income for playing the game that they love. We appreciate their significant time and dedication shared with us, and we thank them for the loyalty and patience they have continued to show us even during the unsettling events of the past few weeks. We respect and admire them for their many accomplishments, both at the poker tables and away from them, and we will always be grateful for their valuable contributions to building the UB and Absolute Poker brands and to creating a rock-solid community at the pair of online poker rooms.”

The full list of affected pros is as follows: Joe Sebok, Prahlad Friedman, Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin, Maria Ho, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, Scott Ian, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Bryan Devonshire and Trishelle Cannatella.

Today’s layoff of all 11 American-based poker pros follows last week’s announcement by Blanca that its workforce had been significantly reduced. Both actions form part of a strategic restructuring of the company that will enable the business to focus its resources on consolidating its non-U.S., rest-of-the-world operation and software business. Absolute Poker and UB continue to operate their non-U.S. facing business around the world.
The company’s legal counsel continues to move forward in ongoing discussion with the U.S. Attorney’s office with the ultimate objective of reaching an agreement with the Department of Justice that would facilitate the return of funds to U.S. players.

Blanca Games Issues Statement on Raids

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UB.comST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA and BARBUDA–(Marketwire – May 7, 2011) – Blanca Games Inc. (“Blanca”), operator of online poker rooms Absolute Poker and UB, issued the following statement today:

Blanca can confirm that Costa Rican officials visited the office of Innovative Data Solutions (“IDS”), the former customer service centre of Absolute Poker and UB in Costa Rica. The Organismo de Investigaciones Judiciales (“OIJ”) took action yesterday to further their investigation of Olman Rimola, the owner of IDS, Scott Tom, who was also recently named in the indictment list issued by the Department of Justice on April 15th, and a third lesser known party, Oldemar Vargas. The reported OIJ ‘raids’ of IDS and various associated private residential addresses were in relation to their search for Rimola, Tom and Vargas, and do not involve Blanca or the operations of Absolute Poker or UB.

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A company spokesperson said: “We want to correct the rumors being reported in poker circles and the wider community that yesterday’s events are related to the recent Department of Justice indictments. Our understanding is that this is not the case, and that they were driven by local investigations of a separate matter in Costa Rica that involves a concerted effort to locate and apprehend Rimola, Tom and Vargas for questioning in relation to a money laundering investigation.”

Blanca has terminated its supplier contract with IDS after discovering that Rimola has misappropriated millions in IDS severance payments. The company is currently exploring all legal options available to recover the lost funds. Furthermore, Blanca is cooperating fully with the local Ministerio de Trabajo (Department of Labor Officials) in Costa Rica in order to coordinate an alternative method to remit all severance payments to IDS employees, thereby bypassing the facilities of IDS and Rimola to ensure that all obligations to former employees are fulfilled.

As stated previously, Absolute Poker and UB continue to operate their non-U.S. facing business around the world. The company is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s office regarding an agreement that will facilitate the return of funds to U.S. players.

Raid on Pokerstars Costa Rican Offices a Mistake

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Following up on our earlier story about raids on the offices of Pokerstars, Absolute Poker and UB we have learned from our source in Costa Rica that today’s raid on the Pokerstars office was a mistake. They were apparently led to the wrong offices by a reporter who is know for sensationalistic news coverage.

Dr Pauly also confirms this from his sources on Tao of Poker. According to Pauly the police officers looked around, had some coffee and left with taking anything.

We’ve also learned that the Costa Rican authorities are chasing down 3 owners of Absolute Poker and UB. Olman Rimola, Scott Tom, and Brent Beckley have been hiding from authorities since they were named in a US DOJ indictment on April 15th.

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We’re sure there is much more going on here that we don’t know yet and will keep you posted on everything we learn including a post we came across on 2+2 that claims there was a group of investors that made an offer to take over  Absolute Poker and UB.