Tag: online poker

888 Poker is Doubling Major Tournament GTD Prizepools

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888 PokerOver the past year 888poker, formerly Pacific Poker, has built new state-of-the art software, launched exclusive PokerCam table technology, released an innovative TV campaign featuring Shane Warne and completely revamped their promotions and offers, including free $8 registration bonus for new customers.

888poker’s continued commitment to the new “we play different” strategy and focus on customer safety and experience is gaining momentum with online poker players and has brought the site a rapid 45% increase in liquidity.

More long term plans also show to be paying off for the poker network. As the USA market continues to show signs of legalization and licensing for online gaming, 888 has made several strategic moves and partnerships to ensure the best position for entry into the major market. The company’s decision to leave the USA online poker market immediately after the passing of the 2006 UIGEA and its continued focus on safe and legal operations, has opened several doors for 888. One very positive move has been the recent approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission to work with USA operator, Caesars Interactive, the online subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. As other major sites begin to struggle with the changing landscape in online gaming, 888 remains in a  prime position.

To keep up with the growth, 888poker has doubled  their major guaranteed tournaments including the Sunday Challenge which is now a staggering $100,000 guarantee. Players can take advantage of these huge guarantee tournaments and other promotions such as, new Team Poker Tournaments (win money as part of a team and as an individual) and  Play More Win More (the more you play, the more big $$ guaranteed freeroll tickets you receive).

Players can also try a more social online poker experience when they play the new PokerCam tables.  PokerCam tables use webcam technology to bring you a face to face interaction with other players. You can catch bad bluffs, meet new friends and maybe find a new crush all while playing poker.

For information about 888poker’s software, interactive community, online store, new innovations, such as, PokerCam tables, and constantly updated promotions, go to www.888poker.com.

With over 5 million registered users and winner of Socially Responsible Operator of the Year 2010, EGR Awards, 888 is a gaming company you can trust.

Existing 888 Poker Players can now take advantage of a 100% up to $150 reload bonus by using deposit code APRIL150.

Online Poker the Day After

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Yesterday was quite the day for the online poker world with the US Department of Justice seizing the domains of the world’s largest online poker sites. There’s been many reactions and speculation as to what’s happening and what’s going to happen in the coming days. Many are angry that the US continues to go after online poker. This is not the case here; this isn’t about whether online poker is legal or whether or not it’s a game of skill or a game of luck. This is about money laundering and tax evasion that took place through the websites.

After reading the Civil Complaint it became apparent that the US Government had every right to do what they did. Here’s an excerpt that helps to better explain the crime:

“For example, defendants ISAI SCHEINBERG and PAUL TATE of PokerStars, RAYMOND BITAR and NELSON BURTNICK of Full Tilt Poker, and SCOTT TOM and BRENT BECKLEY of Absolute Poker, arranged for the money received from U.S. gamblers to be disguised as payments to hundreds of non-existent online merchants purporting to sell merchandise such as jewelry and golf balls.”

“By late 2009, after U.S. banks and financial institutions detected and shut down multiple fraudulent bank accounts used by the Poker Companies, CHEINBERG and BITAR developed a new processing strategy that would not involve lying to banks. PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and their payment processors persuaded the principals of a few small, local banks facing financial difficulties to engage in such processing in return for multi-million dollar investments in the banks. For example, in September 2009, ELIE and others approached defendant JOHN CAMPOS, the Vice Chairman of the Board and part owner of SunFirst Bank, a small, private bank based in Saint George, Utah, about processing Internet poker transactions. While expressing “trepidations,” CAMPOS allegedly agreed to process gambling transactions in return for a $10 million investment in SunFirst by ELIE and an associate, which would give them a more than 30% ownership stake in the bank. CAMPOS also requested and received a $20,000 “bonus” for his assistance. In an e-mail, one of ELIE’s associates boasted that they had “purchased” SunFirst and that they “were looking to purchase” “a grand total of 3 or 4 banks” to process payments.”

They knowingly bought banks or bribed banks in order to circumvent UIGEA. We agree that UIGEA is ambiguous but it is still a law.

Andrew Feldman of ESPN has reported that the US DOJ is trying to shut down the sites globally. We don’t know how this can be done. Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars operate in a jurisdiction where online poker is legal. They are both licensed in countries like the France and the UK. We suspect the only way this could happen is if the US DOJ has proof of money laundering or tax evasion in those countries and is sharing this information with countries world wide.

At Holdem Poker Chat we’re being optimistic about the whole situation. This is in fact exactly what the Las Vegas casinos wanted. They are now on a level playing field with online poker and can now make a strong case for legalizing and regulating online poker in the USA. In fact we expect this to happen rather quickly now that their competition is out of the way.

Black Friday Recap

Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and UB we’re named in an indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice and their domains were seized and replaced with a warning page.

PokerStars has suspended real money play for US players. Players can log in but can’t play at the real money tables. The PokerStars website can be accessed by going to pokerstars.eu and player support is available at support@pokerstars.eu.
Steve Wynn has cancelled his partnership with Pokerstars for PokerstarsWynn.com
Pokerstars has already lost 25% of its traffic.
PokerStars dropped some of their guarantees, including Sunday Storm (from 300K to 200K) and Sunday Million (from 1.5M to 1M)

Full Tilt Poker has left the US market until further notice, and is ensuring that the money is safe with them. Players may send inquiries to support@fulltiltpoker.co.uk.
Fertitta (Stations Casinos) has ended their partnership with Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker will lose 40+% of its traffic.
Full Tilt Poker has Cancelled the Onyx Cup

Sources have told poker news organizations that UB and Absolute Poker will likely stay in the US.
As of this morning April 16, 2011 players could still play real money games on both sites.

We do not at this time think that this will trickle down to other online poker sites that accept US players like those on the Merge and Cake networks. There are many rumors flying around that other sites including sportsbooks will be next but those are just rumors. Again, this is about money laundering and tax evasion. Not about whether poker is legal or not. We’re slowly updating our review pages to reflect the changes. If you’re looking for a new place to play, we suggest you try Lock Poker where we’ve secured a very nice bonus for all new players.

Stay tuned to Holdem Poker Chat for all the latest Online Poker News.

Full Tilt Poker has Suspended Real Money Play in the US

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Full Tilt Poker just released a statement regarding Friday’s indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice announcing that it is suspending real money play for USA players until the situation is resolved.

Click here for Poker Sites Accepting Players from the US

Full Tilt Poker™ Supports Poker Players And Its Chief Executive

Dublin Ireland (April 15, 2011)- Full Tilt Poker is saddened by today’s charges against its CEO Raymond Bitar and offers its full support to Mr. Bitar and Nelson Burtnick.

Online poker is a game of skill enjoyed by tens of millions of people in the United States and across the world. And, Full Tilt Poker remains as committed as ever to preserving the rights of those players to play the game they love online.

Mr. Bitar and Full Tilt Poker believe online poker is legal – a position also taken by some of the best legal minds in the United States. Full Tilt Poker is, and has always been committed to preserving the integrity of the game and abiding by the law.

“I am surprised and disappointed by the government’s decision to bring these charges. I look forward to Mr. Burtnick’s and my exoneration,” said Mr. Bitar.

Unfortunately, as a result of this action, Full Tilt Poker has decided that it must suspend “real money” play in the United States until this case is resolved. However, Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide peer-to-peer online poker services outside of the United States.

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

Lock Poker signs Portugal’s Jose “Girah” Macedo

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Lock Poker is excited to announce the new addition to their LockPRO ELITE team, Jose “Girah” Macedo of Portugal.

Jose represents the face of the new generation of online poker pros. He is one of the youngest poker players to hit the scene and do the impossible. His story is one of passion, determination and skill. At the young age of 16 he took his first try at the game with a $30 deposit and found himself with over 2 million in earnings. He brings incredible insight, passion and sheer objectivity to the room.

“I am determined to be the best player in the world so I wanted to make sure I partnered with the best poker brand,” says Jose “Girah” Macedo. “Lock’s focus on the player experience is unique and inspiring and something I truly wanted to associate myself with. I encourage anyone to come and challenge me on Lock, and look forward to the exciting times ahead.”

“Jose is young, brilliant and incredibly determined. He is putting a new face, age and goal to this game,” says Jennifer Larson CEO/Owner of Lock Poker. “He will be heavily involved in developing the product, marketing and brand in the coming months. His story is one of determination to a degree that is just unparalleled and unrivaled. Lock moves into a new chapter with Pros like Jose leading the way.”

“Jose represents a new exciting episode for online poker,” says Jim Erwood, VP of Operations at Poker Royalty, “and therefore Poker Royalty feels very strongly that he had to be associated with a site that matched his aspirations. Lock Poker is without a doubt that site.”

To start the fun Jose will be hosting a series of free rolls and the top few players will get free coaching from the master himself. Sign up through his link and start playing today: www.lockpoker.com

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.

Full Tilt Poker Take 2

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Full Tilt Poker introduces Take 2. This painless promotion requires you to only opt into it. Take 2 is a cash ring game promotion. There are two parts to the promo. One side of the coin gives you double Full Tilt Points for playing either two standard ring games at the same time, or one Rush Poker game any time from April 08-April 17, 2011. The second part awards cash for playing multiple days. The qualifying is still the same, two standard rings or one Rush game, but the number of days played determines your cash. Play 5 of the 10 days and get $5 cash. If you play 9 of the 10 days you will receive an additional $20 cash for a $25 total. There is a certain number of points to get the double points and the “day” recorded.

How to Participate in Take 2
Follow these steps to participate in Take 2 and claim your cash and bonus points:

If you haven’t done so already, download Full Tilt Poker and set up an account.

Log in to Full Tilt Poker and click on the red Cashier button in the game lobby.

Click on the My Promotions box and then the Take 2 link.

This will lead you to your personal Take 2 page. Follow the instructions on this page – you must elect to participate in this promotion or you will not receive cash or double points for your play during Take 2

The Full Story from the proverbial Horses Mouth:
Take 2 at Full Tilt Poker to earn up to $25 AND double the Full Tilt Points that you’d normally receive for playing in your favorite ring games.

Running from Friday, April 8th to Sunday, April 17th, play at least two standard ring-game tables at the same time or any Rush Poker* table during Take 2 to receive double the Full Tilt Points. Play as often as you can during Take 2 and we’ll also reward you with up to $25 in cash, depending on how many days you play.

Earn up to $25 in Cash
The more you play during Take 2, the more you’ll earn. Earn at least five Take 2 bonus points on any five days during Take 2 to get $5 in cash. Do so on nine of the ten days to get an additional $20, for a total of $25:

Level 1: Play on any five days during Take 2 and receive $5
Level 2: Play on nine of the ten days during Take 2 and receive an additional $20, for a cumulative total of $25
Earn Double the Full Tilt Points

There are two ways to earn double the Full Tilt Points during Take 2:

Play TWO standard ring-game tables at the same time and receive double points at BOTH tables. For example, if you earn 60 points while playing on one table and 40 points while playing on the other, you’d normally receive 100 Full Tilt Points for your play. During Take 2, you’ll earn a total of 200 points – 100 points for your play and an additional 100 bonus points.
Play any table of Rush Poker* – the world’s fastest poker game – and receive double the points. For example, if you earn 100 points while playing at a Rush Poker* table during Take 2, you’ll get an additional 100 bonus points for a total of 200 Full Tilt Points. Rush Poker* is the fastest way to earn double points during Take 2.
You can use your bonus points to get some great gear from the Full Tilt Poker Store, including plasma TVs, iPods, custom Full Tilt Poker jerseys and more. You can also use your points to enter special Full Tilt Points Sit & Gos and Multi-Table Tournaments.

The Early Stages of Single Table Poker Tournaments

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Single table poker tournament or SNG’s as they have become more commonly known are fast becoming the most popular form of poker online. Much of the popularity of these poker tournaments stems from numerous factors. Firstly the entire event starts and finishes in a very short space of time, usually the entire tournament is over in around 45 minutes.

This means that they are not terribly restrictive when it comes to time for most players. One could easily play an SNG in one’s lunch hour or if they have a spare 30 to 45 minutes to kill. But yet it is surprising how few people at the lower stake levels actually play the game well enough to be able to make money. Although this situation is rapidly changing with the advancement of coaching sites and tutorial material on this subject.

There are numerous techniques and strategies for playing these events. But one of the things that you have to remember when playing single table poker tournaments is that they do tend to mimic cash games at the very beginning. By this I mean with regards to the blind to stack ratio. In cash games the usual number of big blinds tends to be between 50 and 100 with most of the stronger players buying in for the maximum.

So what this essentially means is that during the first level of play in an SNG then cash game strategy tends to prevail. By cash game strategy I mean a tight and not too aggressive approach rather than a loose aggressive one. Let us say for instance that your tournament had either nine or ten players. This is the same number as what you would face in a full ring game. So for the first level of an SNG then a full ring game strategy is a very good way to play.

But also there are contrary opinions to this and that the proper strategy in single table tournaments is now so well known that opening up and playing a more attacking style during the early levels is now being seen as a more viable strategy.

I don’t overly agree with this and especially in micro stakes and low stakes tournaments. I think even though the level of play is increasing slowly, it is still correct for novices not to become too aggressive too early in the tournament. So how should you play during the early stages?

Well if you remember that an SNG is basically a miniaturized version of a full-scale poker tournament then you will be better placed to understand an optimal way in which to play them.

But at the end of the day there are massive differences between full scale poker tournaments and single table tournaments. The main difference is of course with regards to the time factor. Strong tournament players who play large multi-table tournaments over numerous hours and even over several days often have playing styles that involve being aggressive from the beginning.

Their goal is to try to accumulate as much dead money as they possibly can before all of the novice players and weaker tournament players are eliminated. This method of play has tremendous validity but its function is dramatically reduced in single table tournaments because strong players do not have the same amount of time that that they do in full tournaments in which to outplay the weaker players.

Even today in what is a far more aggressive poker environment, the solid strategy of playing tight aggressive at the very beginning is still a strong way to play. This does not just apply to tournament poker but also to single table tournaments as well.