Main Headlines

Former Full Tilt Affiliates Can Claim Rakeback Payments as Part of Their Remmissions

The Garden City Group provided further clarification regarding the status of rakeback for players identified as affiliates by Full Tilt Poker on Tuesday.

  • The Garden City Group provided further clarification regarding the status of rakeback for players identified as affiliates by Full Tilt Poker.
  • Rakeback payments made to players classified as affiliates will be considered as part of the recoverable balance.
  • However, if the rakeback payments were not properly labeled as such by Full Tilt Poker, which appears to be the case for rakeback payments made prior to July 2010, players will have to dispute the balance as calculated by the GCG and provide “an explanation differentiating rakeback from Affiliate revenue.”

Unauthorized Messages on Merge Skin Promotes Bitcoin Scam

Messages sent out to players on PokerHost, a skin on the Merge Gaming Network, attempted to trick players into sending money to a Bitcoin address to make a deposit.

  • The messages were an apparent attempt to scam players to send Bitcoin money to the perpetrator’s address.
  • “These table messages were unauthorized and Merge has the isolated incident fully contained.”

Televised WPT Alpha8 in Johannesburg Attracts Top Pros

Big live and online pros to head to South Africa this February.

  • The televised $100,000 buyIn WPT Alpha8™ event at Johannesburg’s Emperors Palace is running from February 14 to 15 and will host pros from around the world including Phil Ivey and IveyLeague.com coach Dan Smith.
  • Other big name high stakes players expected in Johannesburg include Phillip Grusseum, Jason Mercier, The Big One for One Drop champ, Antonius Esfandiari, online poker phenomenon, Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Erik Seidel and Jeff Gross.

ARJEL Combats Gray Market Operators With TV Campaign

France has stepped up its campaign against gray market gambling operators by airing a TV commercial exposing players’ vulnerability when they leave regulator ARJEL’s protective embrace.

  • France steps up its campaign against gray market gambling operators by airing a TV commercial exposing players’ vulnerability when they leave regulator ARJEL’s protective embrace.
  • ARJEL’s advertisement uses naked men clutching sports equipment to cover their “equipment” in public places, to symbolize the lack of protection it alleges players have when playing on non-ARJEL sites.

Picks from F5 Poker:

Antonio Esfandiari Relaxes His Poker Face

All calm and relaxed after his shirtless motorboating around Australia, Antonio Esfandiari gets to work at the 2014 Aussie Millions. Apparently, he wasn’t as relaxed as he needed to be so he got a massage – on his face – while at the poker table.

Ultimate Poker’s William Reynolds Flashes The Cash, Issues A Challenge

This takes a little unwinding. Poker opinionist Steve Ruddock published an interesting article over on NJPokerOnline.net about how online poker rooms should stop relying on the pro player to set online policy. In it he suggests that pros “don’t start games”:

Phil Ivey & Mike Leah — Knuckleheads Cold Shooting Some Hoops

The boyz get to prop betting from long distance. Phil Ivey is a baller in every sense of the word. Here he holds court with some of the Team Ivey pros when a prop bet breaks out to see who between Ivey or Mike “GoLeafsGoEh” Leah can hit a basket from way downtown first.

Joe Hachem – “Poker Is Dying”

WSOP Champ speaks his mind on the state of poker. “I’m very saddened…”

Poker Podcasts and Training Vids:

Podcast: The Bernard Lee Poker Show 02-04-14 with Guest Dennis Phillips Bernard Lee Poker Show

Dennis Phillips talks with Bernard about his experience on the Senior Poker Tour, his work with Poker Stars and his efforts to get regulations in place for online poker.

Podcast: “Ask Alex” Episode 11 – Catch up + we both Rap! One Outer

This is Episode 11 of “Ask Alex” on the Oneouter.com podcast. You know the script by now, myself and Alex chat away about life and gambling and  answer all the questions that the listeners send in.

Podcast: Poker Advocacy Feb 3 2014 show Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny

Guest: John Pappas

Exclusive Articles on pokerfuse PRO:

888poker NJ 80% Rakeback Promo Backfires

Oblique terms and uninformed customer support causes frustration and confusion among 888 players. An ongoing promotion at 888’s New Jersey online poker site has left many players confused over the poor way the conditions were explained and angry over the slow support response time.

Community Debates William Hill’s New Poker Coach—a Step Too Far?

The launch of William Hill’s Poker Coach, a simplified pot odds calculator and heads up display, sparked a recent debate among poker players about third party tools and the damage they can do to the game.

Portuguese Prime Minister Assures New Gambling Regulation “In the Coming Months”

Political delays are likely to succumb to financial pressures and demands for internet gambling tax revenues. The Prime Minister of Portugal has guaranteed that proposed gambling regulations will become law “in the coming months.” Even allowing for political double speak, it appears likely that long-delayed changes in Portugal’s gambling laws are on the cards in 2014.