Daily Poker News Review: Thursday, February 13, 2014 Daily Poker News Review: Thursday, February 13, 2014

Main Headlines

GCG Tests ACH Process for Full Tilt Payments

The Garden City Group announced on Thursday that petitioners that confirmed their Full Tilt Poker account balance in a timely manner may start to see zero-dollar transactions hit their bank accounts as soon as February 13.

  • Petitioners that confirmed their Full Tilt Poker account balance in a timely manner may start to see zero-dollar transactions hit their ban account as soon as February 13.
  • Some banks do not publish zero-balance transactions, so you should “not be concerned if you do not receive such a notice and believe you are eligible to receive payment in the upcoming initial distribution.”

PokerStars Considers Online Sports Betting

In wake of the debut into online casino gaming on Full Tilt, Rational Group is “exploring opportunities” of a sportsbook launch.

  • Group is exploring sportsbook opportunity.
  • Last month, Full Tilt debuted with real money casino gaming.

French Study Finds a Quarter of Poker Players Play on Gray Market Sites

23.5% of French online poker players play on sites operating without a French license.

  • A French study has found that 23.5% of poker players play at sites not regulated by ARJEL.
  • The impact of players leaving regulated sites is much higher than the raw percentage suggests, since it is likely to be the higher volume players who are leaving.
  • The French mainstream media has picked up on a different story from the study, claiming that online poker is the most “addictive” of the games legally offered in France.

Canadian Budget Commits to Online Casino Compliance with Money Laundering Regulations

The regulatory environment in Canada is gradually getting tougher.

  • The Canadian budget released on Tuesday includes a commitment to bring regulated casinos under the authority of money laundering and counter terrorist legislation.
  • While the latest announcement does not signify a threat to online gambling, it is a small step further on the road to making the Canadian environment less gambling friendly.

Convicted Black Friday Payment Processor Chad Elie Loses Claim Against Gaming Attorney

All allegations against Ifrah Law dismissed.

  • After pleading guilty, Chad Elie was convicted on charges leveled at him as a payment processor on Black Friday.
  • He sued gaming law firm Ifrah Law for multiple acts of malpractice and negligence.
  • All such allegations were dismissed by the Judge James C. Mahan who said that Elie’s claims directly contradicted his sworn statements under oath.

Picks from F5 Poker:

Jennifer Tilly And The Cure For The Icky Feeling Of Being A Poker Player

Our favorite actress gets more credit than she can handle. We have no idea how we missed these videos from the 2014 PCA, but we’re thankful that Yahoo Sport Postgame unearthed them. In the video above Academy Award Nominee and our favorite poker playing actress Jennifer Tilly speaks to that horrible feeling every poker player has when they finish a sick losing session and vow to give up poker forever…until tomorrow.


Eli Elezra, Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz & Billy Baxter Battle With Bellator, Join “Team Attack Poker”

Free-to-Play site site signs multi-year deal with mixed martial arts promotion. Ultimate Poker and the UFC are finding a symbiotic relationship from being under the same “Ultimate” banner and now mixed martial arts promotion Bellator is looking to get in the poker game as well.


David Williams, Jay Farber & Baby Jesus Play Strip Poker

Las Vegas’ iconic Spearmint Rhino hosts Valentine’s Day tournament. If you ever wondered what a poker tournament at the Spearmint Rhino would be like, well today is your day to find out. Las Vegas’ most notorious “hot spot” is hosting the 1st Annual Valentine’s Day Poker Tournament tonight at 8pm PST and 2013 World Series of Poker runner-up Jay Farber and Team PokerStars Pro David Williams are expected to be in attendance.


Bad Beat Diaries — Cincinnati Horseshoe Pays While Bellagio Soars

We all take bad beats, lets hope it’s when the money is good. We all have to endure a friends story about a bad beat, let’s hope the next time it’s because they have hit the bad beat jackpot at the local card room.


PokerTips Hangs The “Help Wanted” Sign

If you ever wanted to get into poker media, this may be your chance. Do you know who Chad Holloway, Haley Hintz, Marco Valero and Steve Ruddock are? Are you following Chris Grove, Mark Gahagan, Diamond Flush and Barry Carter on Twitter? Did you know that Joss Wood is a handsome man? If you answered yes to some of these, then this post is for you.


Tony G To Play Sky UKPC As Part of “Farewell Tour”

Marquee names expected to show up for massive prizepool. The Sky Poker UK Poker Championships are set to take place from Feb 17-23 at the Dusk Til Dawn Casino in Nottingham, England. The televised Main Event, a £1000 + £100 buy-in freeze-out with an expected £500,000 prize pool is starting to stack up as more than just big money, but big names, including Tony G, promising to be in attendance.

Poker Podcasts and Training Vids:

Podcast: WSOP schedule announced Ante Up! Pokercast

We recap the WSOP schedule for this summer, and there are some minor changes.


Podcast: 02/12/2014 Poker Action Line Poker Action Line

Jared Tendler, author and one of the finest and most effective Mental Game Coaches in poker, joins BIG Dave and Joe. Jared has written two books about the mental side of the game and helped hundreds of players on the road to success with his magazine articles and individual coaching.


Podcast: The 41 Days of Poker Heaven – The 2014 Heartland Poker Tour is Coming! 2GuysTalkingPoker

How many poker platforms can YOU name that launch with 41 Days of Poker Heaven? Well, we’re familiar with only ONE – The upcoming series via The Heartland Poker Tour is literally 41 Days of Poker Heaven! Check out our most recent episode that features great industry news, detailed information about the upcoming, St. Louis-based Poker Tournament and more! Don’t forget to tell us what you think and we’ll use your comments on the show!


Podcast: PokerNews Podcast Episode #202: Aussie Millions Recap feat. Mike McDonald PokerNews Podcast

It’s just Rich and Donnie this week, and the duo recaps the 2014 Aussie Millions, including the AU$100,000 and AU$250,000 Challenges, and the Main Event. Then, NL.PokerNews editor Frank op de Woerd talks with Mike “Timex” McDonald about his hot start, running good, and the value of WSOP bracelets. 

Exclusive Articles on pokerfuse PRO:

More Players Invited to Alpha-Test PokerStars 7

Over two years in the making, there’s still progress going on behind the scenes on the long-awaited lobby redesign. Although the PokerStars 7 client has not made headlines much since it was first revealed way back in 2010, progress is still going on behind the scenes, and more players are being invited to test it out for real money.


Despite Cashier Difficulties, Adjarabet Traffic Continues to Climb

Processor problems hold back its international expansion plans, but it has not stopped strong seasonal growth. Traffic at the Georgian Adjarabet continues to climb, despite problems with both deposits and withdrawals for international customers.


Following Sunday Success, partypoker New Jersey Announces Special Doubled $100k Guarantee

The usual $50k guarantee will be doubled on March 2 following a successful change to its Sunday structure. On the back of a guarantee-smashing $50k Sunday Guarantee on its New Jersey online poker room, partypoker has announced a special double guarantee tournament at the beginning of March.


Regulation in Review: US

A weekly review of the latest developments in gaming regulation in the US. This week: Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling. Pennsylvania Bill Would Criminalize Online Gaming


The Deal

Promotional highlights of the week, including: partypoker’s cheeky Valentine Mission, Ultimate Poker’s NO-verlay, Bwin exploiting football sponsorships and PokerStars hiring PlayBoy cover girls—and going for a world record. Players Help Promote UP’s “NO-verlay” Promotion