CryptoLogic Grinds Out Second Quarter
The fourth quarter of 2006 was a tough one for the online gaming software provider CryptoLogic. With the passage of the UIGEA and the loss of one its key poker licensees, Betfair, Cryptologic has worked hard to better position the company for growth. But in its recent earnings report, the Dublin-based company was still only able to show marginal improvement year-over-year. Total revenues were up 3.4% in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago, while poker-related revenue was down 27%. The company's second-quarter loss of $1.5 million was better than the loss of $2.6 million incurred in the second quarter of 2007, but the 2007 results also included $4 million in restructuringand relocation charges. The company's half year comparison was essentially flat. But despite their lackluster performance, the company was optimistic about the future. Much of their optimism hinges on the seven new customers CyrptoLogic was able to attract over the last few months, including new three-year licensing deals with UK- based Sky Betting & Gaming and Gaming Media Group Limited, owner of The Poker Channel and PokerHeaven.com. But all is not completely rosy on the licensee front. CryptoLogic licensee World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) recently announced that it was rethinking its languishing online money gaming business. CryptoLogic currently receives a minimum of $500,000 per year from WPTE, a figure that was scheduled to increase to $750,000 with the addition of a broader casino offering later this year. "While seasonality made this a more challenging quarter, at CryptoLogic we remain committed to our goals - and confident in our growth," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President and CEO. "While modest growth is encouraging, aggressive growth is our goal. With an upgraded technology platform and five new customers signed in the last quarter, CryptoLogic's challenge is to execute with excellence - and that should lead to significant revenue and earnings growth from both Europe and Asia." Top Asian Poker Pros Look To APT Macau
The list of renowned poker pros competing in the inaugural Asian Poker Tour is ever-growing, with new stars setting their sights on the top prizes in the east.David Saab, 2008 APT Philippines Champion, placed 46th in the 2008 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event and has told various sources that he will be present in Macau for the second leg of the tour.Four big Asian pros have also verified that they will compete in China – JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do and Steve Sung already played the Philippines event and will be looking to stop Saab making a repeat first place finish.JC Tran is currently the top-ranked player in the Bluff Magazine power rankings with over $6.7m in tournament earnings. Nam Le has a series of high finishes in prestigious events with over $4.3m in tournament winnings under his belt. Quinn Do and Steve Sung are also successful players with around $4m in winnings between them.APT Macau will be held at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino from August 27th to August 31st. The guaranteed prize pool is $1,500,000 with the winner taking home at least $500,000. Poker Room Review: Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, Coconut Creek, FL
The poker room on the second floor of the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino has a barren and isolated feel to it. For those looking for a glittering, casino-like atmosphere, it's a disappointment. There is no foot traffic or gambling anywhere near the poker room. But for those looking for poker without any other distractions this might be just the spot. The poker is lively, with 15 tables. Four were going full blast at 8:00 on a recent Tuesday morning. This is a great room for low-stakes no-limit hold'em. There's some limit hold'em action as well – principally $2/4. There's never stud – though they offer it officially. And there's an occasional $2/4 Omaha-8 game. The room offers $55sit-'n'-goes, though those seldom go off. And unlike many of the other rooms in south and central Florida, there are never any multi-table tournaments. Based solely on my three hours of morning play, the action games are the $1/2 and $2/5 no-limit games. As with all Florida games, as per state law, they have a $100 maximum buy-in. (They even offer a $5/5 blind game as well – with that crazy maximum, as well – though none was going while I played.) This is a bare-bones room, with grungy chairs, a few small-screened televisions on the wall, and dirty felt. The carpet was a nauseating orange color, and very dirty. There are no windows. I got the feeling that the management of the casino gives poker a low priority, tucked away as the room is away from all the action. Even so, the poker room management tries to make the best of a bad situation. They try to get things going early by offering all players a free breakfast from 7:00 – 10:00 AM. The prices for food are exceptionally inexpensive even without this freebie. There's an all-you-can-eat breakfast for $4.95 and a lunch buffet for $7.95. Single breakfast offerings are $2 or $3. They also keep the rake low by delaying it until the pot reaches at least $10. That may seem like a small concession, but I can tell you that the quick rake of $1 that some other poker rooms have even when the pot is uncontested pre-flop, greatly increases the difficulty of beating a tight game. When I played there was a player-funded bad beat jackpot and high hand bonus. The jackpot stood at $57,000 – which might explain the plethora of no-action rocks I had at my table. The high hand bonus was $500. In the early hours that I played, the game was very loose and passive. Hands were typically unraised pre-flop. On the few occasions when I decided to raise I got very little action. I was told that if I wanted action I should move to $2/5. So I did. Sure enough, in the hour or so that I played $2/5 I saw many players going all in – catching and not catching – and often laughing at whatever the result might be. It was a game I truly enjoyed – and profited from – at least for a while. When my $2/5 table got a little too lively for me, with players routinely going all in preflop, I moved back to what had become a very juicy $1/2 game. I left considerably ahead for the session. This is the only room in the Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach area that's open early in the day. I got the sense that many regular players came here first (maybe for the free breakfast) and then as the day wore on, they made their way to the bigger rooms like the Hard Rock in Hollywood. If I lived down here on the southeast coast of Florida, I might well do the same thing. Dusk Till Dawn 'helping to make Nottingham a poker centre'
The UK's only licensed poker club Dusk Till Dawn is one of the main factors behind the rise of Nottingham among the country's poker strongholds.At least this is the opinion Barry Carter, a journalist, who wrote in a Poker News article that it is possible that the midlands area is "fast becoming the capital city for poker players in the UK".Mr Carter suggested that the high density of big tournaments taking place in Nottingham at the moment could show the city is overtaking London, which has been the traditional centre for British poker.Indeed, London has staged a European Poker Tour (EPT) event during each season of the prestigious tournament series and is home to a number of top UK players including Victoria Coren.Nottingham is not without its stars, however, with Mr Carter mentioning EPT titlist Julian Thew as a notable resident who does a good job representing the sport within the country. Major new gambling laws in force
It is doubtful whether online gaming firms will relocate to BritainSweeping gambling laws have come into force in Britain bringing casinos, bookmakers and online betting under a new regulatory body.For the first time, operators will be able to advertise on TV and radio.Opposition parties attacked the measures, saying they would trigger a growth in people addicted to gambling.But Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said the act provided "unprecedented powers" of control and protection for children and vulnerable gamblers.All gaming operators based in Britain will be required to show they meet strict conditions to win a licence from the new watchdog - the Gambling Commission - to trade.Failing to comply with conditions such as prominently displaying information about responsible gambling, will result in steep fines and even prosecution.Radical upheavalThe act overhauls legislation dating from 1845 and covers all forms of gambling - worth more than £91bn to the UK economy in 2006 - from high-end casinos to arcades.The Gambling Act allows the creation of more regional casinos, and bigger slot machine payouts. The National Lottery and spread betting will continue to be regulated by separate bodies.There is already too much social damage and cultural pollution caused by gambling. Advertising it on TV will be ramming it down our throats. Stop the adverts!Matt KilfeatherSwanseaSend us your comments'My struggle with gambling'British-based online gaming sites will be governed by the regulator.But with betting duty set at 15%, doubts have been cast as to how many firms based offshore will relocate.The Conservative spokesman on gambling Tobias Ellwood questioned whether the act "has the teeth" to manage new types of gambling such as internet gambling and games that could be sent to children's mobile phones.GAMBLING ACT 2005: FAST FACTSNew codes governing TV and radio advertising in a socially responsible wayInternet gaming will be regulated for UK-based firmsLocal authorities can impose sanctions on operatorsThe membership requirement on casinos will be liftedPoker clubs will be limited to a stake of £10 per gameBetting firms will have to display gambling helpline information online and in shopsBetting shops will be able to open from 0700 to 2200 all year roundSource: Department for Culture, Media and SportHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Many online gambling companies will be advertising on our TVs, probably from 9pm tonight, but will already have moved to Gibraltar."The Liberal Democrat culture spokesman, Don Foster, said the government had "failed at every opportunity" to bring internet gambling companies onshore where they would pay tax and face proper regulation.But Peter Dean, chairman of the Gambling Commission, said the act aims to tighten industry regulation and ensure the young and vulnerable are not exploited.He said gambling services would "have to satisfy us that their games are fair and open and crime is kept out, and that there is proper protection for children".£1m prizeThe act will see 6,000 fruit machines in premises such as takeaway food shops and mini cab offices, where children could play with them unsupervised, be phased out by 2009.Casinos said the act was an chance to clear up misconceptionsBingo halls will also no longer have to return all stakes as prize money. They will now be able to keep some money behind to offer as rollover prizes. A top prize of at least £1m has already been announced as a result of the new laws.But the biggest change is the lifting of the ban on TV and radio adverts, which allows gambling emporiums to reach bigger audiences.They will be subject to a code of practice, including a 2100 watershed.National helplineOne casino operator said the changes were a chance to clear up some of the "misconceptions about the industry" that have been allowed to fester.However, the new act has attracted criticism from charities including the Salvation Army which said it feared the changes would "normalise" an addictive activity."The results can be devastating on the individual, their friends, family, and on society," a spokesman said.The new ads will carry the address of a website promoting responsible gambling.But charity GamCare, which runs the only national helpline for problem gamblers, said the government "missed an opportunity" and should have insisted its telephone number was also included.The new laws come two months after plans for a super-casino in Manchester were put on hold due concerns over its impact. Dario Minieri Surges as Cash Bubble Bursts
797 players survived the six days that made up Days 1A-D, Day 2A and Day 2B of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. 621 of them made the money in the highest-profile poker tournament of the year, and 337 of them survived to play on Day 4 and work closer to the final table and poker history. Day 3 was a day of tension and waiting, as short stacks tried to hold on to cash, and big stacks tried to bully them around and build bigger towers of chips. When the day was finished, five former World Champions were still standing, testament to the skill required to play large-field tournaments year in and year out. Robert Varkonyi, Berry Johnston, Huck Seed, Carlos Mortensen and Scotty Nguyen all madeit through Day 3, leaving only 2000 Main Event Champ Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson on the rail. Two players that survived Day 3 have already won bracelets in 2007. Alex Kravchenko and Bill Edler picked up bracelets in preliminary events, and are now trying to win the biggest prize in poker for the first time. Internet superstars had a good day Wednesday, as Sorel 'Imper1um' Mizzi, Jared 'Waco Kid' Hamby, Darrell 'Gigabet' Dicken, Hevad 'Rain' Khan, Matt 'Mattster24' Sterling, and Peter 'Nordberg' Feldman all made it through to Day 4. Young Italian star Dario Minieri of PokerStars fame had the biggest Day 3 of all, amassing a huge stack of chips by the end of night's play. But Day 3 wasn't good to all the poker celebrities, as Robert Mizrachi, Todd Brunson, Cliff 'JohnnyBax' Josephy, Amnon Fillipi, Gavin Smith, Chip Jett and Tony Hachem all went to the rail. The Mizrachi surname had been in the forefront of tournament poker for several years now, and at this World Series, it was Robert taking the lead, winning his first bracelet and outlasting brothers Michael and Eric to cash in the Main Event. The Williams household was also represented, as mom Shirley cashed in her first Main Event while son David (2004 Main Event runner-up) watched from the rail. But as everyone knows, there's never been a bigger name in poker than Brunson, and there were still two Brunsons in the Main Event at the beginning of Day 3. Todd Brunson busted first, when his pocket queens were out-flopped by an opponent holding . An ace on the flop left Todd's sister Pamela as the last Brunson in the hunt, but she was eliminated when her fell to her opponent's , again when an ace flopped. The field of celebrities at the 2007 Main Event included movie stars, musicians, hockey players, retired baseball players and writers. At the end of Day 3, three of those celebrities remained: actor Tobey Maguire ("Spider-Man"), musician Sully Erna (lead singer, Godsmack), and television writer/producer Sam Simon (co-creator of "The Simpsons"). Maguire and Erna spent time at the same table thanks to the random redraws, and Erna caught a miracle card during hand-for-hand play to survive into the money. In Erna's big hand, the button raised and Erna called from the small blind. Erna check-raised all-in on the flop of , and his opponent called with . Erna turned over for middle set and was ahead until the gave his opponent the gutshot straight. Erna faced elimination on the bubble until the came on the river to make Erna's full house and move him into the money. "That's why I play poker!" Erna shouted as the pot was pushed his way. The bubble was the story of the day, as players tried to make moves to increase their stack, or just survive as the magic number of 621 came ever closer. Lee Watkinson had a big stack as hand-for-hand play began, and he used it to bully his opponents and increase his lead over his table. With eight short stacks surrounding him, Watkinson raised blind to 150,000 every hand, forcing players clinging to chips near the bubble to go all-in to call him. Watkinson did this all fifteen hands of hand-for-hand play, putting on a textbook display of big-stack bubble play. Brian Senie was the other end of the bubble spectrum, with just enough chips to post his small blind and ante as applause broke out over the room, and he heard the sweetest sounds a short stack in the Main Event can hear, a floor person yelling "Congratulations, everybody!" Senie's luck was John Sigan's downfall, as Sigan lost to Vandy Krouch's gutshot straight and exited as the bubble boy of the 2007 WSOP Main Event. Hal Lubarsky quickly became one of the best stories at the Main Event when he reached Day 3, and then became the first blind player to cash in the WSOP Main Event. Lubarsky was diagnosed years ago with retinitis pigmentosis, and he became the second blind player to play the Main Event when he played Day 1d. Lubarsky sat with an assistant to read his cards and whisper the action to him, and made it through Day 3 in the middle of the pack. Gus Hansen started the day as the chip leader, and finished just outside the top ten in chips after a typically active day for him. Hansen eliminated EPT founder John Duthie and crippled internet legend Cliff 'JohnnyBax' Josephy in quick succession in mid-day. Hansen caught an ace on the flop to crack Duthie's queens and send him to the rail, then showed the nut full house against Josephy's smaller boat to cripple Josephy, who was eliminated a few hands later when he made a stand with K-9 and ran into pocket kings. Hevad Khan started the day with one of the biggest stacks, and finished up the same way, due in part to skill honed at the online tables. Khan once had to send a videotape to PokerStars to prove he wasn't a poker bot when he was logged playing up to 28 sit-'n'-go tournaments at the same time. In one notable hand, Khan moved all-in pre-flop and was way behind when his opponent turned up pocket aces versus Khan's . Khan, though, caught a perfect . The on the turn sealed the win and the double-up for Khan, who finished Day 3 with well over a million chips. When play concluded for the evening, the 337 players were led by Minieri, who had accumulated nearly 2.4 million in chips. The leader board at the end of Day 3 is as follows: Dario Minieri — 2,398,000 Jeff Weiss — 1,533,000 Jon Kalmar — 1,410,000 Hevad Khan — 1,319,000 Kenny Tran — 1,175,000 Steven Jacobs — 1,127,000 Brock Parker — 1,089,000 Robert Neitrayan — 1,058,000 William Spadea — 1,057,000 Nicolas Atlan — 1,057,000 Other players of note in the top 50 include Hansen, Rep Porter, Conor Tate, Isaac Haxton, Kirk Morrison, Francois Safieddine, Lee Watkinson, Sverre Sundbo and Bill Edler. Dustin Dirksen – A Player on the Move
To a casual poker player, Dustin Dirksen is probably not a name one would recognize. However, to the thousands of poker fans who observe online high-stakes games, 'Dustin_Dirksen' or 'John Smiley', as Dirksen goes by on Full Tilt and PokerStars, respectively, are two of the most familiar handles around. While Dirksen typically lays low from the tournament scene and has had only a few minor cashes in live tournaments, he is currently a big chipleader after Day One in Event #22, $5,000 No Limit Hold'em. Dirksen has honed his game by playing thousands of hours against some of the most famous high-stakes cash-game players in the world, such as Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and JohnD'Agostino. Dirksen typically brings tens of thousands of dollars to any given online table, so don't look for the pressure of the $5,000 WSOP event itself to get to him. Dirksen joins a trend of online players doing extremely well in this year's tournament. Some players who have already had a breakout tournament include Event #1 winner Steve 'MrSmokey1' Billirakis, an accomplished online tournament player, Sorel 'Imper1um' Mizzi, who has already gone deep in several events, and Jordan 'iMsoLucky0' Morgan, who came close to capturing bracelet gold in Event #9. For those that follow online play, it will be exciting to see how Dirksen and others fare in trying to translate over their massive success online to the live arena. Young online stars have fared well in recent live events, and there's little reason to believe the remainder of the WSOP will be any different. U.S., Germany, Sweden Involved in Online-Gambling Legal Issues
Several legislative events in recent days continue to define Internet-based gambling as a battleground between national interests and the market freedom inherent within international trade compacts. The United States, as expected, allowed the World Trade Organization's deadline to pass without filing a final appeal in its ongoing trade dispute with Antigua & Barbuda over online gambling. This officially opens the door for Antigua to escalate other trade sanctions and penalties, and Antigua seems poised to waste little time in pursuing the matter. The International Herald Tribune quotes Antigua Ambassador John Ashe today from WTO home city Geneva, as follows: "Not only do we think thatmembers should press claims for compensatory adjustments as a matter of economic self-interest, but we also believe it is important that the process is made as difficult as possible for the United States." It's an open invitation to all WTO members to pursue financial penalties and other sanctions against the United States. Elsewhere, a ruling from a German court has resulted in the throwing out of a case between the German state of Bavaria and Austrian online bookmaker bWin. Late last year a Bavarian law was passed attempting to prevent bWin and other firms from marketing their services in competition with official state-supported outlets, but that ban was prevented from being put into effect by a higher court pending resolution of the case. Now, the entire case has been thrown out, again freeing bWin to accept Bavarian wagers. A state-supported gambling business was also in the news in Sweden. Several published reports indicate that Sweden, already cited by the European Union for its failure to open up its market to outside interests, will not break down Svenska Spel, the state-run monopoly. Instead, in an end run reminiscent of UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (and soon to be Prime Minister) Gordon Brown, Sweden will officially end the monopoly but implement stringent fees and requirements intended to discourage any real competition to Svenska Spel. Whether this passes EU muster remains to be seen. WPT Championship Shuffles Player Of The Year Race
With a third of the 2007 tournament season out of the way, there are definitely players that have made their moves in the early going. The just completed WPT Championship, and the associated Five Star World Poker Classic preliminary tournaments that preceded it in April, have had a significant impact on the rankings in the Poker Player of the Year race and could be of importance as the remainder of the year plays out. Still reigning at the top of the mountain is J. C. Tran, who seized the POY in February. Tran continued his early season assault on the poker world by expanding his lead during the events held at the Bellagio. J. C. was able to take down one of the $3000 buy-in events, whichexpanded his lead over his closest competitor to almost 1500 points. The always dangerous professional from Sacramento seems to be on the top of his game this early in the year and, with continued success, will be difficult to knock off the #1 perch. While he was able to hold onto his second place spot in the 2007 POY race, James Van Alstyne was unable to add any points to his record for the year. With four cashes during the run of the Five Star, however, he was able to push his 2007 earnings up over the $600K mark. The consistent Van Alstyne could have an impact on the remainder of the 2007 race; he will play in virtually any tournament, regardless of size or importance, and could chip away at Tran's lead if J. C. hits a cold streak at any point. A surprise player enters into the Top Ten in third place this month. Paul Lee, the third place finisher in the WPT Championship, also had two other final table finishes during the Five Star events which included one victory. With the three final tables in April, Lee expanded his bankroll by over $1.25 million and now should be viewed as potentially a major player in the POY race. Prior to the Five Star, Paul had primarily played in the multitude of tournaments in the Southern California area; with the immaculate run of success Paul enjoyed in April, he now has the ability to step into more major tournaments and be a definite "sleeper" for the remainder of the POY race. Flush from his victory (and the nearly $4 million paycheck that came with it) in the WPT Championship, Carlos "El Matador" Mortensen enters into the Top Ten this month in the fourth place slot. Mortensen's success in the WPT Championship was not a surprise; during the EPT Grand Final held earlier in the month of April, Carlos finished a very respectable eleventh, serving notice that his game was in prime shape for such a victory at the WPT Championship. Always considered one of the most dangerous players in the game, Mortensen will have plenty of opportunities to reach even higher on the POY leader board. With the WSOP around the corner and the plethora of European events that he will play in, Carlos is primed for a charge that could net him the POY honors. Quietly entering into the Top Ten this month is another player who had great success at the Bellagio. While he didn't win an event, Ted Lawson did have two final table finishes which, along with his runner up finish in March's Wynn Classic Championship Event, gives him the fifth place position. Lawson is a well known face on the tournament poker scene and, if he can continue his success of the past couple of months, could continue his quiet assault on the POY list. EPT Grand Final champion Gavin Griffin falls to sixth this month, while the runner up of the WPT Championship, veteran tournament player Kirk Morrison, enters into the Top Ten in the seventh slot. Morrison nearly had two WPT final tables, as he finished ninth at the Foxwoods World Poker Challenge in March. Signaling his return to the tournament world (Kirk is a WSOP bracelet holder from 1998 in Seven Card Stud), Morrison is on a roll and might be a player to watch. Marc Karam and Juan Carlos Alvarado hold down the eighth and ninth place slots in the POY race, while David "The Dragon" Pham is joined in tenth by the only player to win two events during the Five Star, Jared Hamby. Hamby earned over $500K for his two victories and is perhaps the first newcomer this year that has made a significant impact. These players have a huge obstacle to overcome, however; they are over 2300 points behind J. C. Tran on the leader board. There are formidable opponents in the Second Ten that bear mentioning as well. Bill Edler (eleventh), Ted Forrest (twelfth), J. J. Liu (eighteenth) and David "The DevilFish" Ulliott (nineteenth) are some of the best the tournament poker world has to offer and, with success in the upcoming WSOP, would enter into the Top Ten with a definite shot at taking down the crown. Even with the completion of the fifth season of the WPT, May will not be a slow month. With two WSOP Circuit events in Las Vegas and New Orleans, the start of the sixth season of the WPT at the Mirage Poker Showdown and the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship in Las Vegas and several smaller events both in the United States and worldwide (including the former WPT stop at the Aviation Club in Paris), everyone seems to be only gearing up for the World Series, which begins June 1st. The potential for the Poker Player of the Year list to change significantly is there as the poker world gets ready to hit another gear within the next two to three months. World Poker Tour Championship Preview
Saturday marks the beginning of the fifth WPT Championship, the finish of the Bellagio's Five Star World Poker Classic in Las Vegas and the end of the fifth season of the World Poker Tour. With its pristine location at the Bellagio, the cream of the poker world in attendance and the opportunity to get in a good groove for the upcoming World Series, the WPT Championship has grown into one of poker's top two or three events (the WSOP Main Event, and the emerging EPT Championship come to mind). A simple look at the history of the event and the players involved shows how important the WPT Championship has become. From its inception in 2003 and its 111 player field, the WPT Championship hasblossomed into a 605 runner mammoth that had a $14 million prize pool in 2006. This year's event may have a slightly higher number of players, but the quality of the 2007 final table will probably be the same as in year's past. There have been legends (Doyle Brunson, David Sklansky, Men "The Master" Nguyen), current greats of the game (Phil Ivey - twice at the final table, Ted Forrest, Roland De Wolfe) and surprising newcomers who made their mark on the game (John Phan, 2005 champion Tuan Le and defending champion Joe Bartholdi) at the final table in the past five years. Predicting who will be at this year's final table is about as difficult a task as there is, but if you look at performance up to the event, you can get a possible idea of what will happen. With that said, here are five players that seem to be peaking at the right time. 1) J. C. Tran - With a victory at the WPT's World Poker Challenge in Reno back in March, J. C. is in on a freeroll for the WPT Championship. Tran has also been on fire lately, with three WPT final tables and a victory in one of the preliminary events during the Five Star. Look for him to continue his strong play and be one of the players at the final table. If he has a big stack, he could even take the title down. 2) James Van Alstyne - Van Alstyne will have to buy his way into the WPT Championship, but he certainly won't mind that. So far in 2007 he has garnered over $500K in earnings, made four final tables and cashed in nine tournaments. He has a history of strong tournament performances and should be in the running when it comes to the final table of the WPT Championship. 3) Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi - While not off to the same stratospheric start as he had in both 2005 and 2006, "The Grinder" has been quietly amassing excellent tournament finishes through the early part of 2007. Last year, the crush may have gotten to him after finishing as a runner up in one WPT event and winning one. This year, the hubbub around him is a bit calmer, which should allow him to concentrate exclusively on playing the tournament. 4) Patrik Antonius - Patrik consistently performs well at the tournaments that are held at the Bellagio. He cashed in last year's WPT Championship and was runner up in the December 2005 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic there. He definitely has the skills to be a contender for the crown and could make his first major title with the WPT Championship. Other foreign contenders could be Roland De Wolfe, Gus Hansen or Andrew Black (who has been having a great 2007 and would be good to see in the WPT Championship). 5) Kathy Liebert - While some may have thought she wasn't doing anything, Liebert's game seems to be coming around just in time for the WPT Championship. Runner up finishes at final tables in Foxwoods (during the run of WPT preliminary events for Foxwoods Poker Classic) and the Five Star indicate she is getting in shape to be a force at the tables. Other female players who have to be looked at as well include Joanne "J. J." Liu (freerolling off her Ladies' Night win) and potentially Jennifer Harman or last year's breakout star, Vanessa Rousso, who just missed last year's final table, finishing seventh. Now, the game begins. From Saturday to the final table on April 27th, the WPT Championship will once again deliver the finest in poker battling it out for the coveted WPT Championship title and the millions that come with it. PokerNews.com will be there covering all the action live in our 'live reporting' section. Come the end, we will learn whether it is a professional or a "newcomer" who will take one of the grandest titles in the poker world. New 'Remote Gaming Duty' Casts Doubt on UK/Online Gambling Marriage
Dreams that the United Kingdom would become the standard bearer for the online-gambling industry were dashed yesterday when UK Finance Minister (James) Gordon Brown announced a new 'Remote Gaming Duty' (tax) of 15%, a move ensuring that online firms will not move from friendlier tax havens to the UK in the near future. In addition, Brown's new budget increases the levies assessed on land-based casino operations, throwing a major wrench into the Vegas-style casino expansion popping up across that nation. The 15% remote duty called for by the new budget is miles apart from the 2-3% range online companies cited as being low enough to make relocating to the UK worth the bother; virtually no onlinecasino could give up an extra 12% of taxable revenues and remain competitive against firms not subject to similar fees. The announced budget leaves in serious doubt the accords championed by UK Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who led the push to legalize and regulate online gaming and chaired last October's Ascot racetrack summit conference of nearly three dozen interested nations. While the 15% tax is, on its face, a fee equal to the domestic levy charged to bookmakers and bingo halls, it may be part of a larger strike against gambling in general by Brown's Labor Party faction. Brown also stripped away the bottom tier of tax levels for the smallest land-cased casino operations, and replaced it with a new 50% rate — far over the previous top tier, which was 40%. The jump, affecting casinos such as the new Manchester casino (which are expected to post annual gross house wins of over £10 million), could impact these casinos' ability to become first-class tourist destinations. Efforts to explain Brown's surprise tax hit have moved in several directions. Some reports have focused on Brown's strict Presbyterian upbringing, said to be staunchly anti-gambling at its core, while others see this as a planned boost to Labor Party efforts to force the scrapping of government plans to allow the building of 17 new "supercasinos," the first license of which was awarded to the Manchester facility. An all-or-nothing vote on that topic is scheduled for the UK's Parliament in the very near future. As with all perceived 'sin' topics, gambling remains a hot-button concern. No country offers uniformity or agreement on gambling's regulation and governing. Even as the European Union has moved forward on the topic of gambling as a whole, the UK has stepped back from its chance to assume a leadership role. Sky Poker Enhances the Online Experience
Any viewer of Sky TV will already know that there is no barrier to what can be achieved in screen graphics in this day of digital and high definition technology. No wonder then that the brand new online Sky Poker TV/internet interface is such a hit. Sky Poker is available on TV on channel 846 through the usual satellite/cable services available from Sky. Every evening, there is an incredible 3D graphical representation of live online poker being played on Sky Poker. This has somehow been transfigured from the flat computer screen into an outrageous three dimensional display apparently hovering in mid-air in front of the two live presenters who discuss the play as it unfolds. The picture on thispage does not do it justice as it is a still image but it gives you an idea nonetheless. To add more human interaction, there are guest players playing online in the studio who discuss their own plays during the tournaments. It is a clever concept. Sky Poker is available as a web-based internet poker room so no downloading of a program is necessary. Simply click Sky Poker for this new internet experience. Sky Poker TV is primarily an educational poker forum laced with entertainment, or is it entertainment laced with poker education? It's a question of interpretation and preference. Several media-hungry poker and sporting faces are involved in the presentations such as Carlo Citrone, Tony Kendall, Helen Chamberlain and Ed Giddens. Unsurprisingly, regular sporting stars also well-known for their poker prowess make regular appearances as players. The online poker room at Sky Poker is building up fast so anyone looking for new challenges in online poker can be assured of plenty of UK players and some from further afield, many of whom are likely to be novices lulled in by the glitzy TV production. The chance to have your play discussed as it happens is attractive. It has been done before of course but not like this! Sky Poker offers The Open at 9pm every night in the form of a multi-table tournament with a featured TV table discussed live by the presenters for the evening. Around 500 players are entering these tournaments and you can enter them for cash or Sky Poker Player Points. 500 Player Points will immediately be yours as soon as you open an account at Sky Poker through UK Poker News. Apart from TV poker, Sky Poker's new online interface offers plenty of cash and tournament tables for you to improve your Hold'em play. Video and other tutorials are also available online as well as the educational advice on the TV. 2007 WSOP Pre-Registration Opens; Apparel Policy Liberalized
Pre-registration began on February 26th for the 38th World Series of Poker®, to be held at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino® in Las Vegas. The 2007 WSOP begins on June 1st and runs through July 17, with rules and registration information now available at the worldseriesofpoker.com site. One notable change for this year's WSOP is the introduction of a newly-created $10,000 'WSOP' casino chip, which will be accepted for registration and will likely see common use as the payout 'lammer' for satellite-qualifier winners. The new chip joins smaller Rio chip denominations, wire transfers, cashier's checks, credit-card cash advances and cash itself as acceptable payment methods for eventregistration, accompanying payment forms that can now be found at the World Series of Poker online site. Pre-registration remains open until two weeks prior to the start of any given event. The updated rules also clarify third-party registrations as well, reading as follows: "Third-party registrations for players are not permitted unless submitted by Official WSOP Sponsors; Official WSOP promotions or product licensee, or civic, charitable, business, casino and other land-based entities officially licensed to conduct satellite tournaments for the 2007 WSOP. No third-party registrations will be accepted from online gaming sites conducting business with U.S. residents." Harrah's has also extensively revamped its apparel policy, complete with an explanation of exactly what types of '.com' advertising will remain off-limits. The comprehensive rules changes clearly represent a sweeping move to bring players' appearances more in line with corporate expectations. The start of the relevant section, Rule #34, offers this: "Tournament participants may wear apparel with multiple logos, patches or promotional language. However, no individual logo, patch or block of promotional language is to be larger than 12 square inches." The rule then provides a lengthy list of prohibited forms of logos, advertising, and general apparel. The two key prohibitions relating to online gambling sites are these: "(i) Advertise a dot.com gaming site that conducts business with U.S. residents." [such advertising is prohibited] "(k) In addition, all logos, patches, and promotional language for any dot.net website must contain a clear and visible 'dot.net' suffix at least the same size as the site name." Additional clauses place a ban on any beer or liquor advertising excepting title sponsor Milwaukee's Best Light or other Miller Brewing products; place a general ban on apparel referencing drugs, tobacco, firearms, pornography, other forms of gambling; ban certain types of 'commentary' clothing that could be considered injurious to other parties, and, of course, give the final say-so to Harrah's in any matter of dispute. The "twelve square inches" rule, allowing for such things as a 3" x 4" rectangular patch bearing a logo, effectively eliminates the jersey-style advertising so prevalent on the floor of the Amazon Room last year. However, the new clarifications pave the way for poker apparel to enter the modern world of corporate and business endorsements. The World Series of Poker's commissioner, Jeffery Pollack, served up this comment on the topic: "In recognition of the endorsement agreements that provide income to many poker players, we've liberalized our policy to allow tournament entrants to wear apparel with multiple logos and patches. There are some reasonable restrictions on what is permissible, but this is definitely a far more liberal, accommodating and player-friendly policy." Sound of music at bettercasino
Zero isn't always the most popular number on the roulette wheel but Bettercasino.com have a promotion on Tuesdays whereby if you back and win on zero you can enter their special draw for a 1gb Ipod Shuffle - capable of holding some 240 songs and it's the world's smallest digital music player.It's a series of special offers for each day of the week where the prize draws include a 500 piece poker chip set, a 12 month subscription to Bluff Europe magazine and a three-month subscription to the Turftrax premium service for horse racing fans looking for an added edge.At the weekends if you hit a full house on Jacks or Better - Video Poker then you get entry into a draw for a FREE £50 Bet at Better Sportsbook!And don't forget if you haven't signed up at Bettercasino yet there is a GBP50 welcome bonus waiting for you at bettercasino.com. Blackjack chart
Below is the basic blackjack strategy for the typical rules found at online casinos. You may want to print a copy of the blackjack strategy for reference.Your Hand Dealer's Up Card2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A5,6,7,8 H H H H H H H H H H9 H D D D D H H H H H10 D D D D D D D D H H11 D D D D D D D D D H12 H H S S S H H H H H13,14 S S S S S H H H H H15,16 S S S S S H H H H H17,18,19,20 S S S S S S S S S SSoft 13,14 H H H D D H H H H HSoft 15,16 H H D D D H H H H HSoft 17 H D D D D H H H H HSoft 18 S D D D D S S H H HSoft 19,20 S S S S S S S S S SA-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP2-2,3-3 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H4-4 H H H SP SP H H H H H5-5 D D D D D D D D H H6-6 SP SP SP SP SP H H H H H7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP9-9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S S10-10 S S S S S S S S S SH=Hit, S=Stand, D=Double down, SP=Split
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