Webmasters Add Holdem Poker Chat News To Your Website

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Bodog Cash PerSuit, Win an iPad2

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Bodog Poker wants you to have a new iPad2.  Join Bodog Poker’s new Cash PerSuit promotion and you can win cash bonuses, freeroll entries, and tickets to weekly iPad2 drawings.  Cash PerSuit begins on May 02, 2011 and has three promotional features.  Each week of the promotion there is a bonus to be earned based on how many Poker Points you earn and how many days you earn each level.

Earn 10 Poker Points per day on 4 days and get a $15 Bonus

Earn 10 Poker Points per day on all 7 days and get a $20 Bonus

Earn 25 Poker Points per day for 4 days and get a $25 Bonus

Earn 25 Poker Points per day for all 7 days and get a $30 Bonus

May 2nd-May 8th is Diamond Week; May 9th-May 15th is Club Week; May 16th-May 22nd is Hearts Week; and May 23rd-May29th is Spades Week.  You can earn the bonus each week, but you can only earn one of the bonuses per week.  So if you have 10pts per day for 6 days you can get the $15 Bonus, but if you get 10 Poker Points on the 7th day, you only get the $20 Bonus, not both the 4 day and the 7 day bonus.

You may think it odd that the weeks are named after the suits in the deck and may chalk it up to just Bodog wanting to use the name “PerSuit”.  There is a good reason for the name, however.  At the end of the promotion on June 4, 2011 there is a $10,000 freeroll.  The only way to get into that freeroll is to make a flush on a Texas Holdem ring game.  The flush has some stipulations.  The flush must be in the suit for that week.  Remember the weeks of the promotion are named after the suits in a deck of cards.  You only need to use one card of your hole cards to make the flush, but the hand must go to showdown for a ticket to the freeroll to be issued.  yes, a lot to remember, but it is a $10K Freeroll.

Here are the terms and conditions for the freeroll tickets:

Tournament runs on June 4th at 7:15 PM ET. When a player receives a qualifying flush, they will receive a Tournament Ticket to the $10,000 Freeroll via email by 12:00:00 PM ET the next day. Players can only receive one Tournament Ticket for the $10,000 Freeroll. To qualify for a Tournament Ticket, the flush must be the same suit as the suit of that week (ex: during Diamond Week, a player must receive a Diamond Flush for the hand to qualify), at least one hole card needs to be used, the flush must occur in a Texas Hold’em Cash Game, the hand MUST go to showdown and the hand does not have to be the winning hand. The Tournament Ticket is non-transferrable and can only be used on the $10,000 Freeroll.

Finally, on to the coveted iPad2.  The iPads will be awarded in drawings each week of the promotion.  To get a ticket to the iPad2 drawing, a player needs to earn 10 Poker Points per day for 4 days of the week.

Diamond Week May 2-8, 2011 One iPad2 will be awarded

Club Week May 9-15, 2011 Two iPad2 will be awarded

Hearts Week May 16-22, 2011 Three iPad2 will be awarded

Spades Week May 23-29, 2011 Four iPad2 will be awarded

iPad2 Terms and Conditions:

For the purposes of this promotion, a day is from 12:00:00 AM ET until 11:59:59 PM ET. Every Monday of the promotion, names will be drawn for an iPad 2. To be eligible for the weekly draw, players must earn at least 10 Poker Points per day for 4 days of the week. Draw winners will be notified via phone within 24-48 hours of the draw being held. Draw winners will have a choice to receive either a Bodog branded iPad 2 or a $250 bonus. If chosen, the $250 bonus will have standard rollover: 3x Sports / 20x Casino / 3 Points per dollar.

Take heed.  This promotion is not automatic.  You must OPT-IN to participate in the promotion. To opt into the promotion, simply go to the Bodog Poker home page and click the Cash PerSuit banner located down the left side menu bar.  Enter your Bodog information and you will be signed up for the Cash PerSuit promotion.

PokerStars processing US Withdrawals

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From statements just released by PokerStars, it appears that they will start immediately processing US withdrawal requests. “Returning US players’ funds is a top priority for PokerStars and the company can now start the process of returning money to its former US customers.”  Holdem Poker Chat cautions that the sheer volume of requests may slow the process and players should probably expect a lengthier process than they are accustomed to.  I am sure this is great news for all with substantial portions of their bankrolls on PokerStars.

Click Here for Poker Sites that are Still Accepting Players from the US

PokerStars gives a little more info in their comments regarding the recent developments.  Right up front they state their innocence and desire for their day in court:

“The company categorically denies the allegations brought by the US Department of Justice on 15th April 2011 and is taking all steps necessary to robustly defend itself, and the two named individuals. Meanwhile, the company has stopped offering real money poker services in the United States.”

They continue by stating that player funds are always kept separate from operating funds.

“All PokerStars player deposits are completely safe. The Isle of Man’s strict licensing laws (similar to other jurisdictions where PokerStars holds licenses) require all funds to be held in accounts that are segregated from company assets. PokerStars has always complied with this requirement and continues to do so. This money is readily available to meet withdrawal demands, indeed the company continues to comply with withdrawal requests from players based outside the US as normal. Outside the U.S., PokerStars continues to operate business as usual.”

Good news for everyone.  However, remember that because your government went after a reliable, stand up company like PokerStars, players now no longer get to do business with a company with integrity and class.

Answers to Pokerstars Questions

UPDATE: Shortly after making this announcement Pokerstars put a stop on all withdrawals. Those who managed to process a withdrawal later had the funds returned to their accounts along with an email stating that Pokerstars was still working on the logistics of cashouts to US players and that players would be notified when they were ready.

 

 

Full Tilt Poker Statement on Withdrawals

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Full Tilt Poker released a statement in reaction to their agreement with the Justice Department.  It mostly says that they are pleased that they can give players their money back but the DoJ won’t give them the money that was seized.  That money represented a significant portion of player funds, and they are working to find some system to get money to players as their whole structure for payouts has been destroyed.  The bottom line for players is you still must wait.  Also, any pressure on DoJ in the form of comments on their Facebook page or to local law makers should be continued.  The negative press and anger from consumers is the only reason that we can see for the swift press release from Justice.  Continued pressure is the best way for players to facilitate the return of their funds.

Click Here for a List of Poker Sites that Accept US Players

Full Tilt Poker Statement:

Full Tilt Poker™ is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to regain the use of its worldwide domain name, www.fulltiltpoker.com.

Although players in the United States will not be permitted to engage in real-money play, the agreement expressly allows for real-money play outside of the United States.

In addition, the agreement represents an important first step towards returning funds to U.S. players because it allows Full Tilt Poker to utilize its domain to facilitate the withdrawal of player funds. But, unfortunately, there remain significant practical and legal impediments to returning funds to players in the immediate future. As a result of the recent enforcement action, there exists no authorized U.S. payment channel through which to make refunds; Full Tilt Poker has no accounting of the millions of dollars of player funds that were seized by the government; and the government has not agreed to permit any of the seized player funds to be returned to the players.

Finally, there are numerous legal and jurisdictional issues that must be considered before poker winnings can be paid out to players throughout the United States. While Full Tilt Poker continues to believe that online poker is not illegal under federal law or in 49 states, the indictment and civil forfeiture action filed last Friday require Full Tilt Poker to proceed with caution in this area.

Notwithstanding these issues, Full Tilt Poker is ready to work diligently with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York to try and resolve these issues and to get players their money back as soon as possible.

 

Poker Players to be allowed Withdrawals

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In what can only be the result of all the bad press the DoJ has gotten over their ignoring real crime while persecuting poker players, today they announced an agreement with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to facilitate the return of funds to US poker players.  The long-winded press release is reprinted in its entirety below, but one of the main points it makes is “The agreements allow for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to use the pokerstars.com and fulltiltpoker.com domain names to facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. players’ funds held in account with the companies.” I think players should see action this swift as a victory of public opinion and some of the pressure the US Attorneys office of Southern New York has gotten from the public for attacking innocent poker players.

Reaction from Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars will be posted as soon as Holdem Poker Chat gets the news.  As of right now, withdrawals are not yet allowed, but I assume the ability needs to be coded into the software still.

Click Here for a List of Poker Sites that Accept US Players

Full Press Release:

UNITED STATES ENTERS DOMAIN-NAME USE AGREEMENTSWITH TWO ONLINE POKER COMPANIES
As Part of Agreements, Use of Domain Names Pokerstars.com andFulltiltpoker.com Will Be Restored to Facilitate Return of U.S.Player Funds
PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for theSouthern District of New York, announced today that the UnitedStates entered into domain-name use agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, two of three online poker companies named as defendants in an April 15 civil money laundering and forfeiture Complaint (the “Civil Complaint”), alleging bank fraud, wirefraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. The Complaint, a related Indictment, and a related Restraining Order issued against multiple bank accounts utilized by the companies and their payment processors do not prohibit the companies from refunding players’ money. Nevertheless, this agreement will facilitate the return of money so that players can register their refund requests directly with Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: “On April15th, this Office and the FBI took specific legal action against11 individuals who allegedly engaged not merely in the operationof illegal gambling businesses, but in massive wire fraud, bankfraud, and money laundering, despite repeated warnings and clear notice that their conduct was illegal in the United States. No individual player accounts were ever frozen or restrained, and each implicated poker company has at all times been free to reimburse any player’s deposited funds. In fact, this Office expects the companies to return the money that U.S. players entrusted to them, and we will work with the poker companies to facilitate the return of funds to players, as today’s agreementswith PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker demonstrate.”
Under the terms of the agreements with PokerStars andFull Tilt Poker, the companies agreed that they would not allow for, facilitate, or provide the ability for players located in the United States to engage in playing online poker for “real
money” or any other thing of value. The agreements allow for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to use the pokerstars.com and fulltiltpoker.com domain names to facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. players’ funds held in account with the companies. The deposit of funds by U.S. players is expressly prohibited. In addition, the agreements do not prohibit, and, in fact, expressly allow for, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to provide for, and facilitate, players outside of the United States to engage in playing online poker for real money. The agreements also require the appointment of an independent Monitor to verify PokerStars’and Full Tilt Poker’s compliance with the agreements. The Government stands to enter the same agreement with Absolute Poker if it so chooses.
An Indictment was unsealed in Manhattan federal courton April 15, 2011 charging eleven defendants, including the founders of the three largest Internet poker companies doing business in the United States – PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker (the “Poker Companies”) – with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offenses. The United States also filed a Civil Complaint against the Poker Companies, their assets, and the assets of several payment processors for the Poker Companies. In addition, a restraining order was issued against multiple bank accounts utilized by the Poker Companies and their payment processors.The Government did not restrain any players’ accounts. Five Internet domain names used by the Poker Companies -pokerstars.com; fulltiltpoker.com;  absolutepoker.com;  ultimatebet.com;   and ub.com – were also seized. As alleged in the Indictment and Civil Complaint, the Poker Companies collectively obtained approximately $3 billion in proceeds as a result of their illegal activities.
Assistant U. S. Attorneys SHARON COHEN LEVIN, MICHAELLOCKARD and JASON COWLEY are in charge of the civil moneylaundering and forfeiture actions, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys ARLO DEVLIN-BROWN and NICOLE FRIEDLANDER are in charge of the criminal case.

USA Poker Sites for April 2011

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With recent developments for United States players we have decided to summarize the current choices for US poker online.  This is not meant to be a listing of every site that allows players from the Land of the Free, rather it is a compilation of the sites that Holdem Poker Chat has confidence in and that we feel comfortable recommending to you, the players.

 

 

 

Sportsbook PokerSportsBook Poker

Sportsbook Poker is a financially stable company.  They run the rapidly expanding Merge Gaming software.  As the name implies, you will run into poker players who are really just sports gamblers without a good grasp on poker fundamentals.  Soft play and easy marks are what you can expect with Sportsbook Poker.  The initial signup bonus is a liberal 100% up to $1,000.  No special code is needed to receive this bonus.

 

Luvin Poker

Luvin Poker is the only room on the growing Everleaf Network that Holdem Poker Chat recommends.   Ladies, if you are tired of the male dominated world of poker, Luvin Poker’s player base is 40% female.    They also offer a huge 200% bonus up to $1,000.  you must enter the code HPCMAX for this bonus.

 

Lock Poker

Lock Poker is on the Merge Network.  They have recently signed some poker pros to represent them at live events.  Lock Poker has some of the most rewarding monthly promotions.  Cash game players will especially like their rake races and challenges.  Lock Poker offers an initial deposit 200% bonus up to $1,200.  No bonus code is needed to get this deal.

 

Bodog Poker

Bodog Poker is one of the oldest and most respected names in online wagering.  Their core sportsbook business insures a steady flow of less than savvy players to the poker tables.  In the new order, Bodog offers some of the highest prize pool tournaments available to US players.  The initial deposit bonus of 110% up to $1,100 is nothing to sneeze at.  No bonus code is needed to get this great bonus.

 

Carbon PokerCarbon Poker

Carbon Poker is the flagship of the Merge Network.  They have perhaps the widest selection of tournaments available on a daily basis.  there is usually always a tournament starting in a few minutes.  There are a few high buyin events, but with the new influx of players expect more mid and high level buyin events to appear.  their $109 buyin $50k guaranteed tournament runs every Sunday.  Initial deposit bonus at carbon poker is 200% up to $500.  you must use the code HPC500 to receive this bonus.

Feds seize Poker Domain Names

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The Feds are once again going after poker sites without defining what “illegal gambling” is. Without a real law, or a working definition, this amounts to just a strong arm shakedown. “We are big tough guys so we will tell you what to do, even though we have no lawful basis to do so”

Excerpt from a press release I am sure that they are very proud of:
MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES PRINCIPALS OF THREE LARGEST INTERNET POKER COMPANIES WITH BANK FRAUD, ILLEGAL GAMBLING OFFENSES AND LAUNDERING BILLIONS IN ILLEGAL GAMBLING PROCEEDS

 

 

Multi-Billion Dollar Civil Money Laundering And Forfeiture Action Also Filed

Internet Domain Names Used By The Poker Companies Seized

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and JANICE FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of an indictment today charging 11 defendants, including the founders of the three largest Internet poker companies doing business in the United States—PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker (the “Poker Companies”)—with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. The United States also filed a civil money laundering and in rem forfeiture complaint (the “Civil Complaint”) against the Poker Companies, their assets, and the assets of several payment processors for the Poker Companies. In addition, restraining orders were issued against more than 75 bank accounts utilized by the Poker Companies and their payment processors, and five Internet domain names used by the Poker Companies to host their illegal poker games were seized.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: “As charged, these defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits. Moreover, as we allege, in their zeal to circumvent the gambling laws, the defendants also engaged in massive money laundering and bank fraud. Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don’t like simply because they can’t bear to be parted from their profits.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge JANICE K. FEDARCYK said: “These defendants, knowing full well that their business with U.S. customers and U.S. banks was illegal, tried to stack the deck. They lied to banks about the true nature of their business. Then, some of the defendants found banks willing to flout the law for a fee. The defendants bet the house that they could continue their scheme, and they lost.”

The whole press release can be found here:

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf

Free WSOP with Bodog Poker

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Bodog Poker wants to give new depositing players a chance to play in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for free. All new depositors for April will receive entry into four special freerolls that will award ten tickets to $37 WSOP satellite tournaments. Even if you have had the software, but have yet to deposit, you can qualify for this promotion. The freeroll tournaments will run on April 16,23,30 and May 7 2011. New depositors could be well on their way to a WSOP Main Event seat for free!

If an April new depositor buys into at least $100 worth of WSOP qualifiers will qualify for a June 26, 2011 freeroll that will award threeBodog Swag Bags that Bodog WSOP players receive in Vegas. Additionally, if you buy into $500 worth of Bodog WSOP qualifiers (still April first time depositors), you will receive a ticket to a freeroll on June 25, 2011 that will award a Las Vegas trip. The trip looks like it will be totally set up and bought by Bodog with no cash value.

This is a good deal for players who may have been considering an initial Bodog Poker deposit.

Bodog Poker Kicks Off WSOP Qualifying

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Bodog Poker Kicks Off WSOP Qualifying  

Win your chance to play for the biggest prize in the world
The world’s largest betting brand, Bodog, has kicked off its series of 2011 World Series of Poker qualifying tournaments. Texas Hold’Em poker players are invited to enter multiple tournaments with the potential of securing a seat to the main WSOP event beginning July 7 in Las Vegas.

For as little as $1, players can enter Bodog poker qualifying tournaments to be in with a chance of heading to Las Vegas, playing poker in the $9,000,000 Main Event and, of course, attending the legendary Bodog parties.

“ Bodog has a long history of sending player to the WSOP and we would love another of our players to take a bracelet in 2011,” says Bodog Poker Manager Nicholas Sims. “Most poker players dream of ending up in Vegas partying, with a WSOP bracelet, not to mention the millions of dollars that can be won at WSOP.”

If you’re thinking it can’t be you, think again. Every Bodog poker player participating in a qualifying tournament has a 1 in 25 chance of winning a WSOP seat. But that’s not all, all players also benefit from Bodog’s personalized, comfortable poker playing experience.

All poker players are invited to visit Bodog Poker to enter all WSOP qualifying tournaments.

Lock Poker Battle of the Ronin

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Lock Poker Battle of the Ronin is a rake chase with some great cash prizes.  The Battle of the Ronin has limited prizes for each level attained.   For instance, the easiest to attain level is 100 points, but only the first 200 players to reach the 100 points get paid.  Naturally the levels increase from there as the number paid at each level decreases.  If you manage to complete all levels for the month of April you would earn $45,000 as long as each prize level is still available.  Additionally the Ronin with the most VIP points for the month of April will receive a 2011 WSOP Main Event seat, worth over $10,000.  The Ronin theme comes from ancient Japan’s warrior castes.

Battle of the Ronin Prize Levels

Points Prize Total Points Total Prizes Prizes Awarded
100 $1.50 100 $1.50 200
200 $3.00 300 $4.50 100
300 $5.00 600 $9.50 80
400 $10.00 1000 $19.50 70
500 $12.50 1500 $32 60
600 $15.00 2100 $47 50
700 $17.50 2800 $64.50 45
800 $20.00 3600 $84.50 40
900 $22.50 4500 $107 35
1000 $50.00 5500 $157 30
1500 $60.00 7000 $217 50
2000 $80.00 9000 $297 50
2500 $100.00 11500 $397 50
3000 $120.00 14500 $517 50
4000 $200.00 18500 $717 50
5000 $225.00 23500 $942 50
6000 $300.00 29500 $1,242 50
7000 $350.00 36500 $1,592 50
8000 $400.00 44500 $1,992 50
9000 $450.00 53500 $2,442 50
10000 $500.00 63500 $2,942 50
12500 $800.00 76000 $3,742 50
15000 $950.00 91000 $4,692 50
20000 $1,250.00 111000 $5,942 50
25000 $1,750.00 136000 $7,692 35
30000 $2,000.00 166000 $9,692 15
35000 $2,250.00 201000 $11,942 10
40000 $2,500.00 241000 $14,442 6
45000 $2,750.00 286000 $17,192 4
50000 $3,000.00 336000 $20,192 3
55000 $3,250.00 391000 $23,442 3
60000 $3,500.00 451000 $26,942 3
65000 $4,700.00 516000 $31,642 2
70000 $6,000.00 586000 $37,642 2
80000 $7,500.00 666000 $45,142 2

Battle of the Ronin Terms & Conditions

  • The ‘Battle of the Ronin’ promotion will run from Friday 1 until Saturday 31 April (inclusive), 2011. On Sunday 1 May at 00:00 Server Time the Battle of the Ronin VIP points counter will cease recording VIP Points and any earned after this time will NOT count towards prize requirements.
  • All Battle of the Ronin cash prizes will be paid in full directly to a player’s poker account, without any further play through requirements. Any cash prizes will be available for withdrawal after 7 days of being issued to your account, but can be played with at the tables immediately.
  • A player can win ALL 35 cash prizes during the promotion period, but must meet each level’s individual prize requirements.
  • Please allow up to 30 minutes from when an individual prize level is completed, until payment is received.
  • Any form of cheating or collusion will not be tolerated.
  • The maximum number of cash prizes to be awarded at each level are limited and will only be awarded to the fastest eligible players to reach each level. In the case of multiple players reaching the same level and prize limits being exceeded, then the prize will be awarded to the fastest player to obtain that level (within the prize limits).
  • Lock Poker reserves the right to alter, modify or terminate the Promotion and/or these Terms at any time, without giving you any prior notice (written or verbal) where it is reasonable to do so or for reasons beyond the Promoter’s control. The Promoter does not accept any responsibility or liability for any late or undelivered entries or registrations, notifications or communications or for any form of technical failure, error, malfunction or difficultly or for any other event beyond its reasonable control that may cause the operation of the Promotion to be disrupted, unavailable or incorrect.
  • In order to be eligible a player must setup a real money account, which includes their full contact details, so that we can pay any winnings to their account should the win.
  • Offer only open to players that are of the legal age of majority as determined by the laws of the country where you live. Employees and immediate family members of employees of Lock Poker, its associated companies, affiliates, advertising and promotional agencies are not eligible to take part in the Promotion. Entry to the Promotion is limited to those people who are resident in countries where their registration and use of the Cardroom is permitted by the law of their country.
  • The company reserves the right to ask for proof of age from any customer and customer accounts may be suspended until satisfactory proof of age is provided.
  • By downloading the software and registering an account, a customer is deemed to have fully accepted and understood all rules, terms and conditions published by this website.
  • All players must meet Lock Poker’s Terms & Conditions, and Lock Poker reserves the right to modify these rules at any time, and for any reason, at its sole discretion.