Main Headlines
Lock Poker Moving Off Revolution, Launching Independent Poker Platform
Citing “numerous and ongoing breaches of contract,” Lock launches a “new beginning” with its own all-new poker platform.
- Entirely new software platform has been developed for Lock Poker.
- Rollout of new platform expected today.
- Contract terminated with Lock following breaches of contract, poker room claims.
GPI European Poker Awards to be Held at EPT Deauville, France
Prestigious event will be hosted at Casino Barriere in January.
- Along with event organizers GPI and Poker52 Europa, PokerStars and Lucien Barriere Hôtels are sponsoring the event.
- The main award is given to European player of the year, according to the GPI’s rankings.
- There are also awards given to poker staff and event organizers, and a lifetime achievement award.
- If Rettenmaier were to win it would be quite an accomplishment—the German pro won the award in 2013.
Poker Champ Wants to Represent Nevada in Congress
Former WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela puts himself forward as Democratic congressional candidate.
- The Las Vegas-based professional poker player recently launched his website Frank Kassela for Congress to rally support.
- He shot to fame in 2010, when he scooped two bracelets, one in Razz, the other in Seven Card Hi/Lo Stud.
Matt Salsberg Goes for the Repeat at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris
The reigning WPT Player of the Year and 2012 champion sits in 10th with 24 remaining.
- Matt Salsberg is hoping for back to back wins in the WPT Grand Prix de Paris.
- The reigning WPT Player of the Year and 2012 champion sits in 10th with 24 remaining.
- PartyPoker’s Kara Scott and Christina Lindley both remain in the field with Belarussian Vasili Firsau in the chip lead.
WPT Alpha8 London Finishes Today, Next Stop St. Kitts
Tobias Reinkemeir leads day 1, but registration remains open.
- Tobias Reinkemeir will start day 2 as chip leader of the £100,000 buy in WPT Alpha8 event in London.
- Inaugural Apha8 event winner Steve Silverman is the shortstack of the 11 players remaining.
- Registration remains open for the first round of play.
- A new stop for the WPT Alpha8 tour has been announced for St Kitts in the Caribbean.
Ultimate Poker Expands Omaha Offerings with Hi/Lo Rollout
Pot limit and limit forms of Omaha 8 now available alongside the PLO tables added last week.
Sky Poker Announces New UK Poker Festival
Week-long event at the Dusk Till Dawn poker room features a £500k-guaranteed main event.
More from Around the Web:
US online poker regulation and 'Runner Runner,’ from a Costa Rican perspective news.co.cr
The Costa Rica Star looks at the film Runner Runner and considers its ramifications within the context of the current push for state-by-state US regulation. The small Central American country has a long history of offshore online gaming licensing, and these developments threaten an important part of its economy:
PokerStars may keep its Latin American operations based in Costa Rica, but the company is clearly tired of dealing with the hassle of indictments and U.S. law enforcement agents freely barging into their offices. ... Those poker firms that choose to remain in Costa Rica should concentrate on marketing the lifestyle and organizing live tournaments in communities such as Playas del Coco in Guanacaste, where players can land directly at the Liberia International Airport (LIR) and be transferred to a community that is seeing tremendous growth and interest by foreigners.
An interesting perspective and worthwhile read.
Poker player becomes fantasy sports betting pro with a 6-figure salary ftw.usatoday.com
Erik Hafner was an online grinder making $80 an hour before Black Friday hit. Instead of relocating, he took to another form of online gambling that enjoys a much clearer legal status—fantasy sportsbetting:
For most, fantasy sports is something to be a few dollars on and play with friends. Most seasons end in heartbreaks … and have few legitimate consequences. But for Hafner and the increasing number of pro fantasy sports players, the ability to make more than some spending money off of fantasy sports has created an increasing number of players making a career out of it, a phenomenon that has come with the surge in popularity and existence of daily fantasy sports sites like DraftStreet.com, the Daily Joust and more.
According to this detailed profile on USA Today, Hafner is on course for a $100,000 win this year.
PokerScout’s weekly traffic update pokerscout.com
PokerScout, venerable independent monitor of all online things cash, brings us another weekly installment summarizing the latest changes to traffic rankings. Highlighted this week:
- The surge of traffic at PokerStars Spain, thanks to a billion hand promo driving a 40% traffic spike.
- Effects from Ultimate Poker’s rollout of Omaha tables.
- The anniversary of Everest Poker joining the iPoker network.
Be sure to check it out for all the details.
Mac compatibility page for US-facing online poker rooms professionalrakeback.com
Poker news site and affiliate to the US-facing offshore online poker rooms ProfDB has put together a detailed page on sites available to players on a Mac. Bovada leads the list as the only US-facing site with a native client, but Merge and Intertops have options too (note: unlisted is wsop.com, the regulated Nevada site, which also has a native client for the Mac).
PokerStars news review – ACOP, UKIPT and 'Team Online Week’ pokerstarsblog.com
Its been a busy week for PokerStars-sponsored events, with action in Macau in the ACOP and soon-to-commence UKIPT event heading to the Isle of Man for the first time. It’s also “Team Online Week,” with various associated promos.
Podcast: Episode 53: Shooting the S#$! with Gareth Chantler Thinking Poker
It’s time again to catch up with our old friend Gareth Chantler. From Trondheim, Norway, he tells us about his new job as a Full Tilt Poker blogger and gets Triple Draw advice from Nate Meyvis.
Podcast: The Bernard Lee Poker Show 10-29-13 with Guests Jonathan Duhamel & Andrew Feldman Bernard Lee Poker Show
Poker Pro Jonathan Duhamel and ESPN’s Andrew Feldman talk about this years November 9.
Training Video: 10 20 NLHE Bluffing The Weak Player Drag The Bar
In this video I encounter a Villain that likes to fold hands frequently to river bets. You’ll see me take a number of interesting bluffing lines against this opponent.
Training Video: arronwilson Turbo Speed HU Hands #1 HUSNG
arronwilson reviews select turbo speed hands in PokerTracker 4 in this video. He discusses playing strong hands, specifically deciding between raising and calling in certain spots, bet sizings and when it might be appropriate to fold your strong hand.
Training Video: Ringside: Goldseraph (#20) – Anonymous Full Ring Part 1 Deuces Cracked
Goldseraph discusses full ring on Bovada with topics including HUD, Hand History conversions, and other helpful starting points for playing anonymous poker.
Exclusive Articles on pokerfuse PRO:
Poker Revenues Shrink in Playtech’s Strong Q3
With a 21% decline, online poker now accounts for just 3.5% of the group’s total revenue. Playtech boasted strong revenue growth Tuesday, with Q3 revenue up 16%, despite further declines in online poker.
Geolocation Provider XYverify Receives New Jersey Approval
First verification service approval granted by the DGE. XYVerify Corp. announced Monday it has received approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) to provide geolocation verification services to online gambling providers in the state.
CRIM Report Accepted by EU Parliament
Bitcoin regulation, asset seizure without conviction and five year bans for gray market operators are included in CRIM’s report on anti-money laundering. EU Parliament has adopted a final text of the report by the Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering (CRIM).
The UKGC Responds to RGA Concerns About Money Laundering and Social Responsibility Provisions
Clarification of the confusion whether actions mandated by social responsibility regulations conflict with anti-money laundering demands. The UK Gambling Commission has published a response to questions about “Money Laundering and Social Responsibility Provisions,” which were posed by Remote Gambling Association (RGA).
Albania Plans to Shut Down All Foreign Internet Gambling Sites
Too much money is leaving the country, according to the Albanian Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama has announced that new legislation will be proposed to close internet access to gambling websites.
