Poker joy http://pokerjoy.biz Sat, 12 May 2012 06:18:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Easy Tips for Poker Bankroll Management http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2009/09/07/easy-tips-for-poker-bankroll-management/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2009/09/07/easy-tips-for-poker-bankroll-management/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:59:54 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2009/09/07/easy-tips-for-poker-bankroll-management/

Easy Tips for poker rakeback Bankroll Management
Easy Tips for Poker Bankroll Management Poker is not just about winning the big prizes and tournaments, its also making sure that you have enough money to play. Practical players know that poker involves a lot of risk. High stakes can also mean big losses. Poker bankroll management is essential to be able to play in [...]

wink – Overall Strategies for Sit and Go
bingo day – Overall Strategies for Sit and Go When I was little, my mom had a favorite saying that she would often repeat to me: See the forest, not just the trees. While she was talking about life in general, I believe that this principle may be applied to the poker table as well, [...]

Home-Style Poker versus Pro Poker: What Works
Home-Style Poker versus Pro Poker: What Works If you have been very good at play online casino Poker Room UK with your buddies at home, this does not guarantee that you will be very good when you play with the pros in a casino. Home-style poker and pro poker have significant differences and a different strategy is called for in [...]

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2009/09/07/easy-tips-for-poker-bankroll-management/feed/ 0 Global Gaming Monopoly http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/05/12/global-gaming-monopoly/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/05/12/global-gaming-monopoly/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 06:18:16 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/05/12/global-gaming-monopoly/ Global Gaming Monopoly
DOJ seizures of Poker Domains Part 6 The Systematic Takeover of the State Casinos and Worldwide Gaming Monopoly A Poker Room Skin is an online poker room with its own skin that operates on the same platform with many more individually branded online poker rooms. An example would be Doyles Room and how it operated on Cake platform, but was branded as Doyles Room. In 2006 before Doyles Room started moving from one platform to another, a poker affiliate could have paid $10,000 or less to Doyles Room and created their own skin with their own brand earning 40% rakeback with only some monthly fees for operation. If you were savvy enough, you could run your own poker room. This all ended when the NFL used lobbyist group Covington and Burling to attach the UIGEA. It was no longer viable to buy a skin with threat of the DOJ shutting you or your network down. This was the solution brought about by Brick and Mortar casinos and the NFL whos owners and members have big plans for gambling. The major challenge was getting rid of the successful and fast growing Full Tilt Poker. Bernard Tapie was most likely sent by Steve Wynn to broker a deal. Preceding his visit, was Jack Binion who is a paid employee of Steve Wynn and former owner of the Horseshoe casino. Bernard Tapie and his son would come shortly after no deal could be reached with Binion. Or was Binions visit just to make an offer from Wynn privately and use Tapie as front man for Pokerstars/Wynn hostile takeover? The DOJ who had confiscated the Full Tilt Poker domain name and player funds was in total control. Full Tilt was till operating in Europe, but that was all about to change with Phil Iveys lawsuit against them. It would cause a run on the bank of Euro player funds. Tony G would claim (and I believe him) that this was a ploy to devalue Full Tilt Poker value to enable a takeover for cheap. Soon it would be leaked to NoahSD, a mod at Two Plus Two, that Phil Ivey owed at least 4 million and asmuch as 10 million to Full Tilt Poker. This would enrage many players who believed that Ivey lost 10 million of their funds playing craps. Phil Ivey was playing craps at up to $100k a roll and it is totally plausible that he owed markers to Brick & Mortar Vegas Casinos. If he owed more money to the Brick & Mortars or specifically Wynn, this could put him under pressure to file the lawsuit. Tapie would later sign agreement to buy FTP with many contingencies. They would create company in Ireland with the function of leasing software. Shortly after this, DOJ would reject Tapie and another leak OKd by NoahSD in Two plus Two announcing that Pokerstars is going to buy the software off of Full Tilt Poker. This all seemed very suspicious to me and to others, that it happened so fast. I had predicted only one week after Black Friday, that Caesars would end up with the software and lease it to the state casinos:In my opinion all of these studies the states are doing are wasting tax payers money. They could drag a third rate affiliate off any forum and that affiliate would be able to tell them that the state would not be able to get the conversions needed to have profitable poker eco system. You need thousands of players all day long to get games going. This leads me to the conclusion that the government went after Full Tilt Poker, UB, and Pokerstars to wipe out future competition for Caesars Entertainment Group. Once they have a bill in place for regulation of online poker, they will grant Caesars Entertainment Group a sweetheart license to run online poker sites in the USA. The states study will conclude that they cant do it on their own, and that they will have to buy skins from Caesars Entertainment group. A year later (a few days ago), an industry insider from Bodog would say almost the identical statement: The deal would then see PokerStars pardoned, potentially allowing it to partner with a land-based casino and apply for a license to enter the US market in the eventuality of legalisation. Under these circumstances, it has been suggested that PokerStars could even licence out Full Tilts software,with a Bodog representative commenting via Facebook:I think it has to do with the software. I think they will keep the Full Tilt software clean and license it to new operators in regulated states and jurisdictions looking to get into the online poker space. Shortly thereafter, on Quad Jacks Radio, Scott Yeates, a former employee for Pokerstars, who is now consulting in the industry, said the same thing about the leasing of the software. It is beginning to look like I was right, except that it is Pokerstars and not Caesars or Zynga. Shortly before Black Friday Wynn aligned with Pokerstars:If federal regulation passes, Wynn plans to launch PokerStarsWynn.com. With Wynns backing, it seems much more likely that PokerStars will be able to secure a license, and that is a strong sign that poker players will be able to prosper in a regulated U.S. environment. It is my belief that they formed a sort of Hegelian Dialectic to get rid of Full Tilt Poker. Pokerstars meetings with Wynn years before Black FridayNearly two years ago billionaire Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn met Isai Scheinberg, the founder of PokerStars, the worlds biggest online gaming firm, for the first time. Scheinberg generally avoids traveling to the U.S., but the meeting took place on Wynns boat while it was anchored in the Mediterranean Sea. Over a three-hour lunch, Scheinberg tried to convince Wynn that the two of them should work together to regulate online poker in the U.S. with an eye toward setting up a joint venture. They would create a problem: DOJ shuts down poker sites and confiscates bank accounts. People would react: by begging for regulation of course all along being prodded by PPA and Fair Play. Two Plus Two would soon fill with shill accounts and leaked news promoted by the mods. Solution: Pokerstars would save the day and pay everyone back their own money. The masses would then rejoice in a Pokerstars monopoly and legislation preventing this from ever happening again. It has become more evident from all of my research that there has been a systematic takeover of all gaming by a small group of individuals. After over 510 hours of research into Black Friday and the events before and after, I can only come to this sad hypothesis; There is a consorted effort state by state, for a few individuals, to have a monopoly in gambling. In many cases they partner up with corrupt local officials or corrupt or greedy Indian casinos in order to eliminate opposition from local lawmakers. And in many cases these casinos are tied to money laundering. These state casino monopolies would open up across the country, in some cases financed by the state or pension funds, for people that wont travel to Las Vegas. The main east coast centers would be in New York, Jew Jersey, and Miami. Take a look at these examples of state and international casinos where mega lobbying is involved and decide for yourself: The Rooney family, who own the Pittsburgh Steelers and racetracks and casinos are getting in on the action:Rooneys Tri-State Strategies LLC, now a registered lobbying firm in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, includes such political heavies as former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio; Paul T. Fader, the former chief counsel to former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey; Michael Perrucci, an attorney who has invested in the casino project in south Bethlehem; and attorney Douglas J. Steinhardt.The NFL was responsible for the actual attachment of the UIGEA Rooney Mara Descendant of Steelers owner and Giants Owner andStar of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Rooneys have long been involved in gambling and are tied by blood to the New York Giants owners family the Maras: In 1925, bookie Timothy Mara decided against investing $500 in the career of heavyweight boxer Gene Tunney, instead pumping the cash into the new New York Football Giants, Playing FootballBesides the conservative authors of the UIGEA, the NFL is pushing for it to go into affect as soon as possible. According to the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, a Bush official who once worked as a lobbyist for the National Football League is behind the push to rush the regulations through before Bush leaves office. The NFL has voiced its support for the UIGEA because it will snuff out illegal sports wagering that it thinks could threaten the integrity of the game. According to the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) asked the White House what role Deputy Director of Public Liaison William Wichterman had in encouraging the Treasury to send over the final draft of the regulations. Now they are changing their policies:Last month, the NFL considered during its annual meetings a revision to its gambling policies aimed at allowing teams to sell advertisements to casinos. The league made no announcement during the meetings regarding whether a vote was taken on the matter, or whether the rules in any way had changed.They have.Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal reports that the NFL has communicated to all teams the new rules regarding casino advertising, which allow such ads for the next two seasons. NFL FLip FLops like DOJ when all their duck are in a row or indicted acuallyCommissioner Roger Goodell and the league are discussing the issue at their annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., this week. Sources said an agreement to alter current policy would be a drastic about-face for the NFL.For years, the NFL has been vehemently opposed to any tie-ins with the industry, fearing that it would be seen as promoting sports wagering.In 2003, the league wouldnt let the Las Vegas tourism campaign What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas, run during the Super Bowl. DOJ FLIP FLOPS after Tapie agreement signed A few days early, the U.S. Department of Justice has given poker players a Christmas presents of sorts. The DOJ, which has long held the position that the Wire Act of 1961 applies to all forms of internet gambling, changed their position and now believe the 50-year-old law only applies to sports betting and not other forms of online gambling, including poker and lotteries. The DOJ had been asked for their opinion on the Wire Act as it pertained to lotteries in New York and Illinois. In the documents released on Friday the DOJ took the position that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside the reach of the Wire Act. Jon Kyl Flip flops after Black Friday In the last couple months, words attributed to Kyl on his official website were added that appear to back up that possibility. The text reads: Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year. Until I have the chance to review them, I cannot make a judgment about their merits; but I will consider them carefully as long as they leave in place the broader proscriptions against online betting. Looking at all the research in retrospect, it only makes sense. If we take a look at how Jack Abramoff closed Indian Casinos, bilked them of money, and did a hostile illegal takeover of Sun Cruz Casinos, it resembles the Full Tilt Poker takeover. Indian Casinos were a threat to state casinos popping up all over the country. There is also an effort to turn Miami into the east coast Las Vegas. They did not want Indian Casinos to limit their profits in anyway. Same holds true with Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt was becoming a serious threat to a global monopoly. They had risen unexpectedly and could actually surpass Pokerstars and then follow up with a brick and mortar casino or partner with one like Stations (who owed Caesars Money). For those of you who dont remember, Pokerstars was always copying Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was innovative and cutting edge and Pokerstars was always a month or two behind. Then a serious threat came in the form of Rush Poker. Rush poker was a new, exciting form of poker that was more profitable and faster. It meant players could play more hands which led to more profits per player. This also meant that anyone who played it would have serious problems waiting for hands at another site or in live play. So the threat was established, the brand was growing, and had cooler pros and higher high stake games. The trap was set long before Black Friday. The trap was set already to get rid of the fast growing poker room. Back to the states The Indian casinos held monopolies in some states because they were on territories that are out of jurisdiction for regulators. This enabled them to run Casinos with competition, but that is changing state by state. Jack Abramoff seemed to being working alone to bilk the Indian Casinos out of millions. That was far from the truth, he worked for a major casino lobbyist law firm called Greenberg Taurig (same law firm of PPA an Two Plus Two). Jack was using his friend Ralph Reed to manipulate Focus on Family (religious group) into writing congress to shut down Indian Casinos. He would then have them reverse their opinion once Abramoff collected millions in fees and the Indian Casino flooded PACs with donations. STATES Resorts World Miami Design photos FLORIDA Miami to Become New Las VegasInternalize the name Resorts World Miami. It is a 3 Billion dollar investment taking place at the heart of Downtown Miami. If the term 3 Billion didnt give you a conceptual mental picture of how massive this undertaking is, really take a closer look at the pictures provided. This project is like Disney World for adults in Miami. It may just be pictures and computer generated renditions, but Genting a Malaysian company already owns specific key locations to start construction as early as Spring of 2012 with a projected finish date as early as Fall 2014. Genting contracted a Miami based Architectural company named, get ready for this, Arquitectonica! Try and say that with a straight face. Despite their great name, Arquitectonica really went all out and didnt hold back when designing Resorts World Miami. Theyve managed to design the buildings with a futuristic marine life feel, in homage to Miamis aquatic lifestyle. Looking at the pictures it almost seems as if it were an underwater city made from gigantic coral reef structures. Miami Lobby Effort for East Coast ResortLast week, a Senate committee heard a pitch envisioning a handful of casino resorts in places like Miami and Tampa/St. Petersburg, with bidders paying a $50 million application fee.One proposal calls for a 75-mile exclusivity zone around the new casinos, but that wouldnt include the existing South Florida pari-mutuel and sovereign Seminole casinos. The casino proposal calls for a 10 percent tax rate on gambling revenue, which is far less than the 35 percent paid by the Broward and Miami-Dade racinos.The plan raises plenty of questions for South Floridas existing casinos.If full-fledged casino resorts are authorized, it means the states 2010 gambling agreement with the Seminoles would be voided. The five-year deal, which gave blackjack and other table games to five tribal casinos, was supposed to generate at least $1 billion for the state.It means the tribal casinos, like the Hard Rocks in Hollywood and Tampa, might get to stay open and expand gambling menus while not paying anything to the state. For that reason, the tribe might not oppose the new plan as much as youd think.A voided compact would give them a huge competitive edge, with more money available for promotions, marketing and payouts. Federal regulators and courts would have to sort out the inevitable legal disputes that would arise. NEW YORK New York Race Track ExpansionsRacetracks across New York Sept. 7 will unveil a plan to amend the state constitution to permit them to offer a complete array of casino gambling as part of a proposal they say will raise money for the state government and the industry. With state officials, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, signaling interest in possibly expanding casino options in the state, the racetracks that already have video lottery terminals say any future expansion should be limited to their sites as a way to block added casino competition from within New York. Backers say the plan would stand a better chance with voters because it would feature an expansion of existing casinos instead of new, Las Vegas-style casinos in new areas of the state. Nine tracks now are permitted to have VLT casinos under a 2001 law. Rooneys Blood Ties (full article deleted by Tribune Review) This is why Im copy pasting then linking to the sources.)The five sons of the late Art Rooney Sr., often called The Chief by friends and family, oversee a sprawling empire that includes at least two dozen corporations in fields as diverse as dog racing, restaurants and electrical contracting that combine to churn more than $650 million in annual revenue. One piece, a casino and harness racing track at the northern edge of New York City, raked in more than $400 million last year. OHIO Lyle BermanBerman also played an important role in gaming companies. In 1990 he was a co-founder of Grand Casinos Inc., a company that sought to create gambling establishments outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Grand Casinos Native American casino holdings were spun off into a new company, Lakes Entertainment Inc., and Berman was named CEO. Additionally, Berman is the chairman of the board of the World Poker Tour and Pokertek. Lyle Bermans stake in Pokertek could be key in having all the casinos tied together for online poker while sitting in B&M Casinos. Each state casino could have their own skin for online and use Pokertek to tie live casino players to online rooms. Caesars Ohio Investment + Bermans Company Press Release announcing partnership between Bermans Company and Caesars:Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: LACO) announced today that Rock Ohio Ventures, LLC (Rock), the company that owns the rights to develop a casino in each of Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, recently entered into an agreement with Caesars Ohio Investment, LLC, a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Harrahs Entertainment, Inc.) (Agreement) providing for the joint ownership and management of Rock Ohio Caesars, LLC, the entity that will ultimately own, develop and operate the two Ohio casinos. Lakes continues to have the right to own up to 10% of Rocks ownership in the two casinos, provided that Lakes funds a proportionate amount of the capital required from Rock to develop such casinos. We are pleased that Rock chose such a well established and reputable management company, stated Lyle Berman, CEO of Lakes. Caesars has a rich history of casino gaming and operates some of the best casinos in the United States and we believe this enhances the value of our ownership in these casinos. We currently have the capital and intent to fund the amount required to maintain our ownership position and we look forward to being a part of this business venture in Ohio. added Mr. Berman. Hosted with myphotocloud.comLakes Entertainment state Casino development projects past and future. Current ProjectsRed Hawk Casino In DevelopmentRocky Gap ProposalVicksburg DevelopmentCincinnati DevelopmentCleveland Development Past ProjectsFour Winds Casino ResortCimaron CasinoGrand Casino TunicaGrand Casino CoushattaGrand Casino AvoyellesGrand Casino BiloxiGrand Casino GulfportGrand Casino HinkleyGrand Casino Mille Lacs MARYLAND Lyle Berman Leon Black in two separate projects in Maryland Caesars Entertainment Corp. is proposing to build a $310 million casino with a steakhouse, buffet, sports bar and 4,000-car garage near M&T Bank Stadium in South Baltimore.The gaming company unveiled details of Harrahs Baltimore to a state slots panel on Monday afternoon at the site of the proposed project along Russell Street. Caesars owns the Harrahs brand.CBAC Gaming LLC proposed in September to build the casino slated to include 3,750 machines.Members of CBAC include local businessmen Arthur Adler, Michael Bronfein, Anthony Deering and Theo Rodgers.The group hopes to open the casino in the second half of 2013. The state slots panel headed by Greater Baltimore Committee CEO Donald C. Fry must still approve or reject a gaming license for Caesars.Caesars said the project would create the equivalent of 1,225 full-time jobs. Total gaming space would be 110,000 square feet. The steakhouse would seat 125 people, while the buffet could accommodate 400. The project would also include a 5,700-square-foot sports and restaurant and 2,500-square-foot food court. Below are the full details on each of the five bids.Baltimore site:Baltimore City Casino LLC 3,750 slot machinesPrincipals: Charles Hopkins, Erwin Haitzmann, Peter Hoetzinger, Andreas Terler, Margaret Stapleton, Ryan Green, and Lori SteeleCBAC Gaming LLC (Harrahs Baltimore) 3,750 slot machinesPrincipal entities: CR Baltimore Holdings (Rock Gaming Mothership LLC and Caesars Baltimore Investment Company LLC); CVPR Gaming Holdings LLC and STRON-MD Limited PartnershipOfficers: Arthur Adler, Leon Black, Michael Bronfein, Margorie Rodgers Cheshire, Craig Colton, Jonathan Coslet, James Coulter, Matt Cullen, Anthony Deering, Timothy Donovan, Steven Fader, Daniel Gilbert, Jonathan Halkyard, Joshua Harris, Eric Hession, Gary Loveman, Donald Marrandino, John Payne, Karl Peterson, Eric Press, Anthony Rodgers, Theo Rodgers, Marc Rowan, Steven Sibel, Belinda Stronach, Jinlong Wang, and Christopher WilliamsRocky Gap site:Landow Partners LLC 500 slot machinesPrincipal: Nathan LandowEvitts Resort LLC 850 slot machinesPrincipals: William Correa, Lyle Berman, Tim Cope, and Enrique MelendezAllegany Entertainment Group/Potts Gaming LLC 200 slot machinesPrincipals: Vincent Tagliabracci, Tom Aro, John Jagiela, Frank Shunock, and Craig Potts How The Casino cartels are financing the deals: ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Marylands slot machine commission voted 6-0 on Friday to reject a proposal to bring slot machines to western Marylands Rocky Gap State Park. Don Fry, the commissions chairman, said the proposal, by Landow Partners LLC, failed to provide detailed information that is required about how they would finance the casino. We never received a full financial plan or business plan that met the requirements as set forth in the (request for proposal), Fry said after the vote. Fry said Landows proposal included a request to borrow about $25 million through state bonds for the venture. Were not in the position to offer state bonds as part of the deal, Fry said. We have no authority to ask the state, or rely on the state, to issue additional state bonds to fund what this project would be. Think back to Jstat and how Harrahs now Caesars Entertainment was no so coinsidentally purchased the day after the UIGEA: Apollo Managements Black fingerprints are in this indictment, but nothing stuck to Teflon Leon. The money invested from CalPERS/CalSTRS was bundled into the Harrahs/Caesars Entertainment (Hamlet Holdings) buyout in Jan. 2008. Apollo Investment Fund L.P. VI and the 10% ownership of Apollo Management by Californias public employees pension funds assisted in buying Harrahs/Caesars are shown in the SEC filing. Caesars Entertainment later extended much of its debt obligations to 2015 and required teachers and law enforcement pensions to take a haircut in the process. The billions lost to Caesars Entertainment wont be known until then. Who allowed Californias teachers and public workers to be owners of the world largest casino? Cleveland Casinos set to open:The vote came after the commission spent 30 minutes with their legal counsel prior to the public meeting.Commission chair Jo Ann Davidson told ONN that this marks a critical day in the history of gaming in Ohio.Todays vote clears the way for the Cleveland casino to open on May 14th. It will be the first full gambling facility in Ohio.Rock Ohio Caesars wired a required $50 million fee to the state last night. In addition, they paid $3 million in licensing fees.Last month Cullen and his business partners, including Dan Gilbert, passed a background investigation conducted by the state More on Cleveland CasinoOhio Casino Control Commission during a two-hour presentation about his companys vision for the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, scheduled to open in May.But Gilbert, who also is a majority owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, answered questions from the commission over a $60,000 unsecured loan he personally made to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2009. Kilpatrick owes that city more than $800,000 from a criminal case that forced him out of office in 2008.Gilbert told the commission the loan was poor judgment in hindsight. Gilbert never faced criminal charges over the loan, and investigators determined it was not part of an extortion or bribery scheme. Spectrum also cleared for a license another business partner in the deal, Lake Ohio Development CEO and former world poker champion Lyle Berman. Bermans company will own 10 percent of the Cleveland casino. Tie to New State Casinos and People backed by Las Vegas MAPP contends that 40% of tribal profits goes to Lyle Berman and his management company (former owner of Berman Buckskin) and his non-Indian management group. The remaining 60% of the profits go to the tribal leaders who take it for their personal gain, and then distribute some to the reservation members in the form of services and a $500 check at Christmas. Even with supposed millions in casino profits, Hill contends that the Mille Lacs reservation has no chemical dependency half-way houses, little or no program in the schools to keep kids off drugs, no shelters for abused children, and only five foster homes.In addition, MAPP contends that the Tribe has borrowed millions of dollars from Berman for start-up costs; a debt that may take decades to pay back. MAPP members argue that the casinos are making millionaires out of a few corrupt leaders, and are not benefiting most Indians. MAPP is trying to get the Tribal Council to agree to a referendum on how casino profits should be spent and distributed. MAPP wants improved services, especially for chemical dependency and childrens programs, and a more substantial per capita payment plan than the current $500 per member per year.According to Hunting and Angling Club President Howard Hanson, Indian groups like MAPP are vitally important to provide internal policing of tribal governments, because the U.S. government gets involved only when violations and criminal activity become flagrant enough to warrant making a federal case. North CarolinaIntroducing Vegas style gambling at Cherokee Casino a safe bet When the N.C. Senate reconvenes on Sept. 12 they will likely be voting on whether or not to ratify an amended gaming compact between the state and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians that would allow for live table games at Harrahs Cherokee Casino & Hotel resort. The North Carolina General Assembly passed a Joint Resolution (938) in July that declared which legislation and bills would be considered in September. Delaware Delaware Still Lobbying for SportsbooksThe State of Delaware has long been trying to enact legislation that would allow gambling on sports as a way to raise much needed revenue. Delaware is the only state east of the Mississippi River that is, under federal law, allowed to offer this type of gambling. There are three other states, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada that have laws pre-dating the federal governments ban on sports betting, which allow them to utilize this type of wagering. Of those, only Nevada does take full advantage of the law. Gary Ward, a lobbyist for International Sports Link, Inc., said that, the estimated annual revenues of $70 million are conservative. Ward said he would like to see sports betting expanded to beyond the confines of the three established racinos currently in operation in Delaware. South Carolina U.S. Says Indictments Expose Money-Laundering Scheme The man accused of being the ringleader of the money-laundering operation, Stephen A. Saccoccia of Cranston, R.I., was arrested in Geneva, said Lincoln C. Almond, the United States Attorney for Rhode Island. The Government will seek Mr. Saccoccias extradition. Most of those indicted will face charges of racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering, Mr. Almond said, and if convicted, the ringleaders could face life in prison without parole. Laundered $500 Million Mr. Almond said that in the past two years the operation disguised the source of up to $500 million for the cocaine cartels based in Cali and Medellin, Colombia. The investigation grew from a previous one that uncovered a $1.1 billion money-laundering operation in New York, Miami and Los Angeles in 1989, Customs Commissioner Carol B. Hallett said at a news conference in Washington today. Aquasino Partners of South Carolina run Sun Cruz Casinos of Abramoff fame. New owners buy Sun Cruz, sending casino boat to SC New owner of Sun Cruz has ties to money launderer. Mollicones mania for deal-making took its toll on his staff. His erratic moves frequently drove his property manager, Diana C. Dumin, to tears. His accountant, Stephen R. Zito, anguished over books that would not balance. His bank vice president, Peter J. Iannuccilli, scrambled to keep up with his frenetic boss. Heritage Loan had always had its quirks. But without Puppy Dogs disciplined hand, the bank just went to hell. Every few days, prosecutors say, David Izzi and Kenneth Saccoccio of Cranston carried in suitcases crammed with $10s, $20s and $50s. The bills were sometimes covered with cocaine residue. A bank employee would take the money downstairs, count it and send a check to a metals company. The money was from drug sales on the streets of America. The notorious Cali drug cartel used Heritage and a string of businesses around the world to help obscure the moneys origins. Prosecutors would later charge that Mollicone, Iannuccilli and Raymond Marotto, a branch manager, were members of an international money-laundering ring . Mollicone turned to Fleet. Robert Weisberg, President Fleet He applied for a $3.5 million, short-term loan. He told Michael Patch, the commercial loan officer, that he needed the money to pump up the balance sheet to make the bank more attractive to potential investors. Fleet approved the loan. Mollicone used the money to buy a Fleet certificate of deposit in Heritages name. When Ziroli returned, Mollicone showed him the $3.5 million CD. He didnt tell the examiner that the money was just a loan. Instead, he showed him a CD statement from Fleet, which said nothing about the origins of the money. When the examination was over, Mollicone paid back Fleet and tossed the loan records in a box in the basement. Fleet says it didnt know Mollicone was going to use the loan to fool the state examiners. The banks spokesman said the loan was a perfectly good and legitimate transaction. The bank has declined to discuss the loan in detail. (AP) MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) The Sun Cruz name will return to the South Carolina coast when new owners send a casino boat to operate out of Little River.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Saturday that the Aquasino is expected to sail from Miami next week. The company plans to hire about 160 workers and should be ready for gambling cruises before the end of the month. The Aquasino can hold 600 passengers and is about three times the size of the old Sun Cruz boat. The plan is for two daily trips, costing passengers $10 each plus additional costs for food and drinks. Owner Bob Weisberg of Highland Park Real Estate Development says he expects the boat to take over the Sun Cruz name. Sun Cruz operated gambling cruises out of Little River before filing for bankruptcy in December. PennsylvaniaRivers Casinos Pittsburgh Government watchdogs and antigambling groups say the Zappalas quiet involvement gives the appearance of undue influence. That perception, they said, breeds public distrust of the courts that hear cases involving the gaming industry. What connections does a Supreme Court justice have to bring to an organization that does things that sure look a lot like lobbying? The obvious answer and it might not be the right one is to lobby the court, said Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. If you hire somebody like that, youre hiring him for his connections. It sure looks like the gaming folks wanted somebody who has played with the Supreme Court and also has connections with the Legislature. Hes the perfect go-between. Mr. Zappala has close ties to prominent lawmakers, including former Sen. Vince Fumo who wrote the state gaming law. He presided at Mr. Fumos second wedding and wrote a letter on his behalf to the judge who last year sentenced him to 55 months in prison after a federal corruption conviction. Mr. Zappala declined to comment and Mrs. Zappala Peck did not respond to telephone messages left last week. It seems to me that theyre doing a pretty good job of trying to remain invisible, but the stench is great, said Dianne M. Berlin, coordinator of the antigaming coalition CasinoFreePA. Gaming interests try to keep this kind of thing under the carpet so people dont really know how much has been tainted in our state. More on Rivers Casinos If what were hearing from legal circles bears out, the other justices are probably going to feel disrespected, too, if Justice Joan Orie Melvin is indicted by the Allegheny County district attorneys office. Some legal sources in Pittsburgh and the state judiciary speculate that she will be indicted in connection with the ongoing investigation of her sisters. A cloud has been hanging over Justice Orie Melvin since spring, when Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. filed theft of services charges against state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, and Janine Orie, the chief administrative judicial assistant in Justice Orie Melvins court office. Judges and lawyers weve talked to have expressed great uneasiness with the situation. While the sources weve spoken to mostly Democrats, by the way have no love for Justice Orie Melvin, theyve made it clear that Mr. Zappala has serious perception problems in the legal community outside of Pittsburgh in this case. There are all sorts of loose connections here. Mr. Zappalas father is a former Supreme Court justice who now works for the Pennsylvania Casino Association. A Senate panel including Jane Orie questioned Mr. Zappalas father about his role with the trade association at a hearing in February. The district attorneys brother, Gregory, was the co-owner of the juvenile detention center at the heart of the Luzerne County judicial scandal, although he has never been charged or accused of any wrongdoing. Justice Orie Melvin has been vocal about the Luzerne County scandal. Focus on Family Jack Abramoff Bilking and colluding against Indian Casinos On the February 17 broadcast of his radio program, Focus on the Family president James C. Dobson and Tom Minnery, the organizations vice president of public policy, sought to fend off questions arising from reports of their alleged collusion with convicted felon and former gambling industry lobbyist Jack Abramoff in a scheme to shut down competition to his clients casinos. While both Dobson and Minnery deny working with Abramoff, email exchanges between Abramoff and associates Ralph Reed and Michael Scanlon appear to contradict Dobson and Minnerys claim that Focus on the Familys activities in opposition to the expansion of a Louisiana casino had nothing to do with requests from Abramoff or Reed. More efforts to stifle Indian Casinos The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments surrounding an effort to shut down an existing casino because the tribe failed to meet the deadline for federal recognition. David Patchak sued to stop the opening of the casino by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe, near Grand Rapids. Patchak challenged placement of land in a trust for the tribe, saying the move was illegal since the tribe was not recognized by the government in 1934 when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed. The government and the tribe argued the suit should be dismissed because federal law bars lawsuits attempting to overturn a decision to take title to lands in trust for tribes. The United States has not waived its sovereign immunity from suits challenging its title to Indian trust lands, Justice Department lawyer Eric D. Miller said. Some Supreme Court justices seemed troubled by the timing of the case, noting that the casino is already opened. In South Carolina, Circuit Judge Ernest Kinard ruled against the Catawba Indian Nation in their lawsuit against the state and top law enforcement officials about the tribes gaming rights. The Catawba Indian Nation sued South Carolina in January, arguing a 1993 settlement with the state and federal governments allows the reservation to have gambling. But the state said that that gambling cant begin on the boats until they reach international waters and specifically prohibits any casino-like gambling in areas controlled by South Carolina. Alabama Indian TribesThe Department of Interiors recent actions represent a complete disregard for fundamental principles of states rights and an arrogant lack of respect for the people of Alabama, King said. Interior Department spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said officials in Washington had not yet seen the suit, but the department does not comment on pending litigation. Tribe attorney Robert McGhee said the tribe was disappointed the attorney general chose to go to court instead of sitting down with the tribe to discuss gambling. The tribe is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but would be affected by the outcome. California Indian CasinosINLAND EMPIRE, CA Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission on Monday asking to close the Soboba Casino until the Tribal Council allows unrestricted access by law enforcement authorities onto the reservation to enforce Californias criminal statutes. MACAU China Wynn VS OkadaWynn and Okadas spat burst into the public spotlight in January, when the Hong Kong-based businessman sued Wynn, intending to gain access to records surrounding a $135 million donation the company made to the University of Macau. Okada, Wynn Resorts largest shareholder, sued Wynn Resorts in January for denying him information about the donation, which he called inappropriate. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is looking informally into the issue.Wynn director could face Macau bribery chargesUS-based Wynn Resorts bought out its largest shareholder, asked him to quit the board and filed a lawsuit in Nevada State against Okada and two of his companies for breach of fiduciary duty and related offenses.After a year-long investigation led by former Nevada governor Robert Miller and Louis Freeh, the ex-director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wynn Resorts said it found more than three dozen instances over a three-year period in which Mr. Okada and his associates engaged in improper activities () in apparent violation of U.S. anti-corruption laws. Note: Louis Freeh is ex FBI director and is part of Fair Play USA astro turf Grass Roots movement and with Tom Ridge. Louis is somewhat of a cleaner and sent wherever corrupt companies need their messes cleaned up. He was recently hired by Penn State to clean up their Sandusky child molestation rape. Wynn Resorts gets Macau government approval for Cotai casino development Wynn Macau Ltd. said the government of the southern Chinese gambling enclave published formal approval of a land transfer, paving the way for construction to begin on the 21 hectare (51 acre) site.U.S. billionaire Steve Wynn, the founder, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, said the Cotai development is the single most important project in his companys history.The company gave no other details about the projects approval, which has been long awaited by investors. Domain Seizures part 5 In defence or Ray BitarPoker Domain Seizures Part 4 Jack Abramoffs Playbook used by Covington and BurlingDomain Seizures Part 3Domain Seizures Part 2Domain Seizures Part 1 addendumDomain Seizures Part 1 Editors Note: These opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Pokerbloggs.com Play Online Poker Poker Blog Copyright 2008 – 2012 Pokerbloggs.comSubscribe to PokerBloggs.com

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/05/12/global-gaming-monopoly/feed/ 0 Strategy with Kristy: Aaron Jones Part Two http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/20/strategy-with-kristy-aaron-jones-part-two/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/20/strategy-with-kristy-aaron-jones-part-two/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:18:09 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/20/strategy-with-kristy-aaron-jones-part-two/ Strategy with Kristy: Aaron Jones Part Two
April 11 2012, PokerNews Staff Related Articles Strategy with Kristy: Aaron Jones Part One Strategy with Kristy: Reid Young Discusses Showdown Value Strategy with Kristy: Tax Time Share It Tags Aaron Jones, Poker Strategy, PokerNews Podcast, PokerNews Strategy Print In the first of this two-part interview for the Strategy with Kristy podcast, LeggoPoker CEO Aaron Jones answered poker theory questions sent in by listeners. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can listen to it here: Podcast Powered By Podbean For Part Two, Jones analyzes poker hands sent in by listeners. To make it easier to follow along, host Kristy Arnett has posted the hand histories in her latest PokerNews blog. In the first hand, the Hero is faced with an under-the-gun raise to $11.50 in a $2/$4 no-limit hold’em six-max game online. He has pocket sixes in the big blind. Here is a snippet from the interview after Arnett asked Jones what options the Hero has in this spot preflop: Theoretically, I guess, they are sort of the easiest hands to play in some ways because you’re never going to be put in a particular position. Whereas if you defend a hand like jack-ten suited or something like that, it will sometimes come like ten-six-five and you’ll have to decide if you’re going to call all three streets, two streets, how many streets your opponent would bet with a bluff. There are nine outs to overcards that can come, or even if he has a draw, there are overcards that can come that will make you fold the best hand. There are a lot of dicey situations. With a hand like a pair, you can somewhat play for set value. However, we’re not quite getting a good enough price to just do that. Because, it’s not like he’s always going to have pocket aces and it’s going to come king-six-five. Sometimes he’s going to have pocket kings or sometimes he’s going to have ace-queen and it’s going to come king-six-five. In both cases, we don’t get any extra money from him. So, from a theoretical point of view, small pairs are some of the most poorly played because people think, “Oh cool. I’m just going to call a few bucks here or a few bucks there. Oh, it’s a few more bucks? What are my odds preflop? What are my implied odds? Alright, we’re just going to try to hit three-of-a-kind. If I do, I’ll just shovel a bunch of money in postflop.” That was a great idea in 2007 and still a pretty good one in 2009. But, now that it’s 2012, it’s a little bit more difficult to get away with stuff like that. I would probably not defend pocket twos through fives here in this exact situation. I might even fold sixes against the right guy, but more than likely, I would call. You have to sort of construct a calling range here though that is pleasing to the balance gods. Say we always want to call here with pocket sixes through tens. We never want to three-bet with those hands because it could put us in a position where we fold the best hand if we get four-bet by ace-king. We don’t have any blockers to him having blockers to four-bet bluff us. There are just a lot of reasons we don’t want to be three-betting sixes through tens. But, you can’t only have sixes through tens in your range. You’d much rather have sixes through tens and also have queen-jack suited, king-queen suited, ace-jack suited, and maybe like ace-queen offsuit in your calling range. Even against some guys who I didn’t think their four-betting range or their getting-it-in range is particularly wide, I would call a hand like ace-king. Podcast Powered By Podbean Tune in every week for new episodes of Strategy with Kristy. Feel free to send in questions, ideas or suggestions for the podcast to kristy@pokernews.com. Also remember to follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news. Follow PokerNews Staff on Comments

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/20/strategy-with-kristy-aaron-jones-part-two/feed/ 0 The November Niners http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/02/the-november-niners/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/02/the-november-niners/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:54:15 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/02/the-november-niners/ The November Niners
The November Niners Now that the last remaining players to compete on one of the most famous, one of the most prestigious and definitely the one of the richest sporting event in the world, are completed, its time to learn a bit of them and have a taste of what could happen in the poker table come November. Dennis Phillips Dennis is a 53-year old truck driver from St. Louis, Missouri. With 900 grand in his pocket and a shot for couple of millions more, expect this humble but eager tournament amateur to slug it out against the established veteran of the trade. Ivan Demidov Ivan is a professional poker player from Moscow who cashed in on three events and landed on the Main Event finals. Surprised as he was, expect this soft-spoken online poker hotshot to twist the tables around in November. Scott Montgomery Scott is a Canadian resident who has the killer combination in WSOP a big bankroll and lots of experience. For those who tune in other tournaments, youve probably seen Scott in LA Poker Classic in 2008 where he finished fifth with almost 300 grand. Peter Eastgate Peter is a 22-year old poker player who hails from Denmark. But make no hasty remarks about his age because this young player is one of Denmarks recognized online professional players since 2005. He cashed $10,000 dollars in for a chance at the felt table, and what do you know, after much of the 6,800 heads are gone, one of the youngest player this year is sitting on the poker table this November. Ylon Schwartz Ylon is a chess player who has been gambling for 25 of his 38 years. He has made his living out of playing poker for several years, and he has no plans of stopping right now. He was the player who has the most number of cash-in in WSOP event with 12. Should he win, expect him to be out of sight for sometime because this New Yorker plans to escape to where you least expect him to be. Darus Suharto Canadian Darus Suharto is set to follow the footsteps of an unknown accountant who shocked the world how number crunchers play poker. An Indonesian-born residing in Toronto Canada, expect Moneymaker-incarnate try to turn an $80 investment into multi-million dollar prize money. David Rheem Probably the most famous of the nine, David Chino Rheem has made several previous appearances in WSOP final table. This 28-year-old professional poker player has been playing poker since he was 18. With fear set aside and Lady Luck in place, Chino is ready to take on the final table challenge. Craig Marquis This 23-year-old poker player hailing from Arlington, Texas is the one who beat Hamricks AJ out of the tournament with pocket queens. Expect Lady Luck to flutter around this young poker player, especially when you realized he was just playing poker for 18 months. Kelly Kim He maybe a wee bit shorthanded when it comes to bankroll, but dont expect him to back out just yet. A California-based business analyst who traded his portfolio for some chips, he has four months worth of time to think about how to make his narrow way to victory this November.

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/04/02/the-november-niners/feed/ 0 First Timer’s Guide to Playing Live http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/29/first-timers-guide-to-playing-live/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/29/first-timers-guide-to-playing-live/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:54:15 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/29/first-timers-guide-to-playing-live/ First Timer’s Guide to Playing Live
1. 888Poker Download Read Review 2. PartyPoker Download Read Review Heinz wins 2011 WSOP Pius Heinz wins the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event over Martin Staszko. Blue Monday The second wave of U.S. indictments against online poker rooms fires out from Maryland. Player Migration Begins PartyPoker’s attempts to woo poker players away from US-facing rivals. Feds Indict Online Poker Operators News about the April 15, 2011 federal online poker indictments. Three Poker Book Gift Ideas Three Poker Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays See all Poker Articles >>

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/29/first-timers-guide-to-playing-live/feed/ 0 New Rake Contribution Method http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/18/new-rake-contribution-method/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/18/new-rake-contribution-method/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:18:06 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/18/new-rake-contribution-method/ New Rake Contribution Method
New Rake Contribution Method From March 5th, 2012, we are changing our rake contribution calculation to a weighted contribution method. This system is the fairest possible method for calculating a player’s rake. Only players who contribute to the pot will get a portion of the rake; their portion is calculated based on how much money they have put into the pot. If a player folds pre-flop without contributing anything to the pot, no rake will be awarded to him. You can still redeem your points in our VIP Club! Our new points table will be updated on March 5th on our point accumulation page. Publish Date : 23/02/2012 Print Article Send To Friend

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/18/new-rake-contribution-method/feed/ 0 Paul Jones Discusses Winning PokerStars’ 2012 WBCOOP Best Blogger Award http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/14/paul-jones-discusses-winning-pokerstars-2012-wbcoop-best-blogger-award/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/14/paul-jones-discusses-winning-pokerstars-2012-wbcoop-best-blogger-award/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:54:14 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/14/paul-jones-discusses-winning-pokerstars-2012-wbcoop-best-blogger-award/ Paul Jones Discusses Winning PokerStars’ 2012 WBCOOP Best Blogger Award
March 13 2012, Chad Holloway Related Articles How Black Friday Changed the 2011 SCOOP The Sunday Briefing: Week Off For PokerStars Sunday Million and Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee The Sunday Briefing: “MAE9690″ Claims Top Sunday Prize Share It Tags PokerStars, Poker Tournaments, Online Poker Print The 2012 PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) recently concluded its eighth annual series, which ran from Feb. 23 through March 4, and included 30 tournaments. The competition brought together many of the industrys top bloggers who competed for various prizes and titles. The 2012 WBCOOP determined three notables from the poker blogging realm, including Agnes Archibong-Omon, who won the Best Live Tweeter” award and $1,000 for her tweets throughout the 2012 series. Likewise, Bartisz wilczybobek Oder from Poland earned the distinction of Player of the Series with 295 points and took home a WBCOOP 2012 trophy, a live/online event package for a PokerStars-sponsored event, a special chip set, and a 2012 SCOOP Main Event Medium ticket. 2012 WBCOOP Player of the Series Leaderboard Final Place Player Points 1 Bartisz wilczybobek Oder (Poland) 295 2 murmur666 (Spain) 260 3 AJEI (Dominican Republic) 255 4 LParreira (Portugal) 250 5 mifox (Ukraine) 235 6 AkrilGIRL (Peru) 215 7 nobody777888 (Russian Federation) 215 8 Erdoganas (Lithuania) 210 9 MariusTrif (Romania) 205 10 murmuc75 (Hungary) 205 Finally, the most prestigious award, the Best Blogger Award, was given to Paul Jones of Ireland for his blog, The Royal Raiser. In his video submission, Jones explained what hed do with the $5,000 prize. Combined with his blog and promotion, Jones efforts were enough to catch the eye of PokerStars officials, who declared him this years Best Blogger. PokerNews recently talked to Jones to get his take on the 2012 WBCOOP. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Serious, you really want to hear all those boring details? Just kidding, Id be delighted to tell you but it will bore you. Im no star poker player, thats for sure. Im a regular kind of guy, 37 years of age and a stay-at-home dad. The first poker game I played was about two years ago, but its only since July of last year that the bug has taken over. Still a micro-donk after all that time, but I do try to improve my game. Im an avid blogger and player at the moment and try to give it as much time as possible. I have a good record at online sit-and-gos, but my cash game leaves a lot to be desired. You write a blog called The Royal Raiser. Tell us about that. Well, I blog in a couple of great places including pokergob.com, which is a great place to blog. I also help out as a volunteer moderator on pokerschoolonline.com, which without doubt, is a wonderful place to learn the game. It was my own personal BlogSpot, though, that I submitted to the WBCOOP promotion. Most of my blogs are about personal challenges and goals that I have set myself. I find this a great way to get my head around some of the concepts of the game. Ive also reviewed a few books that Ive found helpful. How did you find out about the WBCOOP competition? Honestly, I think its hard not to find out about a PokerStars promotion, they do such a great job of advertising them. Whether it was on a forum, in the PokerStars lobby or on Twitter that I saw it Im not sure, it seems like such a long time ago, but its a safe bet it was one of the above. How long did it take you to put together your winning video? And what inspired you to pick out that soothing music? The video was an afterthought. I just wanted to try my hand at making one and thought it was a good idea. It was the main blog, though, that I submitted as my entry. As for the music, thats an easy one. It was the best of bad selection in my Windows library that was copyright-free, and yes, it is very soothing. I thought it was a good fit for the theme. After you made your submission, what did you do? Did you promote it, etc.? Again, the video was not the entry, it was my main blog, and boy did I promote it! Relentless tweets and Facebook posts went out over the duration of the promotion. For all those family members who got bombarded with poker-related posts and tweets over the week, I hereby sincerely apologize. Guess is was worth it though. Please unblock me Mum! How did you find out that you won the World Blogger Championship? The moment I found out will be imprinted in my memory forever. The kids had just got home from school, and I said to my wife that I would play online for about an hour and then leave it at that. It was our wedding anniversary and we planned to have a meal together that night. I loaded up a few micro-cash tables and settled into what I thought would be an hours grind. About ten minutes into it, my Twitter and Skype notifications started going a little crazy. The first one I looked at was a Skype message from a good friend called Mark. Hey, did you win the WBCOOP? he asked. I replied that I wished and that I wouldnt be that lucky. I told him I had won a few SCOOP tickets alright. He sent me a link to a Twitter post from PokerStars, and I nearly fell off the chair. I could not believe it to the point where I emailed their support to see if it was true. Apparently I was chosen by the PokerStars Blog team as one of the two wildcard entries for the competition. Did you think you had a realistic shot at winning or did it come as a surprise? Surprise would be an understatement. It was total shock. Ive never won anything this big before in my life. It means a lot to me on so many different levels. Its not every day you get to be crowned World Champion at something. Also, there were hundreds of other great blogs submitted, and well done to all who took part. You stated that youll be donating 50 percent of the prize to charity. Do you know which charity yet? If so, how did you come to that decision? One of the easiest decisions ever. I said from the very beginning that I will donate half the prize money to the Temple Street Childrens Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The thing is that, although Im not wealthy, I believe that money is not the most important thing in life. One of my daughters has trouble with her eyesight, and I regularly have to bring her on trips to this amazing hospital for check-ups. The staff there has been very kind to us, and I challenge anyone reading this to walk around a few of these hospitals for a couple of hours. When you are done, youll really see whats important in life, health and family. Once I make the presentation, I will post a photo up on my blog for all to see. You said that youll be using 25 percent of your prize to buy into a UKIPT event. Have you ever played in one before? Which event will you be choosing? It has to be the Dublin event, but havent even looked yet to see when that is on. Ive never played in one before and Ill probably be way out of my depth. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. How did you do in the 30 WBCOOP events? Poorly. There were so many good players playing the events, and I, sadly, wasnt one of them. I scraped into the prizes in four of the events, though, winning three $5.50 SCOOP tickets and one $16.50 ticket. I liked the mix of the formats and thought the selection of events really spiced it up a bit. I enjoyed the H.O.R.S.E. game the most because Im a regular at a play-money home game called The Drunk Tank where they play H.O.R.S.E. every Monday night. Theres a great bunch of guys and gals in that home game, and they surely taught me a thing or two about poker. Actually, if I remember right, my Bad Beat of the WBCOOP happened in that H.O.R.S.E. game. Its in my blog if anyone wants to look. Have you seen in increase in traffic on your blog since becoming the World Blogger Champion? Without a doubt. My blog hits have nearly doubled. I received hundreds of messages since being announced the winner. Mostly, about 95 percent positive good wishes from great people, and if I havent thanked you already, then I do so now. Ive tried to respond to as many messages as possible. I received about 5 percent of hate mail, too, but I guess thats to be expected. That wont bother me as Im too old in the tooth to get upset about these things, and I wont let it take away from the fact that I was crowned World Blogging Champion for 2012. I will continue to promote the game as best I can in the coming year and respect each and every player I meet along the way. Im a believer in good karma. What goes around comes around so they say. Thanks to PokerNews for the interview, its been the icing on the cake of a wonderful week. For more information on the 2012 WBCOOP, visit the PokerStars Blog. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! Follow Chad Holloway on Recent Articles The Nightly Turbo: Negreanu Wins WPT Charity Event, Mississippi Bill Dies, and More PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Madrid Day 1b: Navarrete Takes Overall Chip Lead Ryan Eriquezzo Wins 2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Main Event Mississippi Internet Gaming Bill Dies in Committee Earn an Easy $250 in Titan Poker’s Lord of the Grind Promotion Most Popular This Week Dwan, Cates and Laak Join PartyPoker.com Premier League V Lineup Ray Bitar Apologizes; GBT Lawyer Behnam Dayanim “Reasonably Optimistic” The Insiders: WSOP’s Ty Stewart on Online Poker Legislation, WSOP Asia Pacific, and More EMOP Lisbon Iron Man — 12,000 in Freeroll Prize Packages on Bet Victor Poker UK Private Equity Firm Interested in Full Tilt Poker Comments

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/14/paul-jones-discusses-winning-pokerstars-2012-wbcoop-best-blogger-award/feed/ 0 Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/10/previewing-the-2011-2012-world-series-of-poker-circuit-caesars-atlantic-city/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/10/previewing-the-2011-2012-world-series-of-poker-circuit-caesars-atlantic-city/#comments Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:36:20 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/10/previewing-the-2011-2012-world-series-of-poker-circuit-caesars-atlantic-city/ Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Atlantic City
March 10 2012, Chad Holloway Related Articles Recapping the 2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Africa Jim Harnden Wins World Series of Poker Circuit Palm Beach Kennel Club Main Event Previewing the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Caesars Palace Related Tournaments Share It Tags WSOP Circuit, Tournament Results, Poker Tournaments Print March 1 marked the start of the World Series of Poker Circuits latest stop, which is happening at Caesars Atlantic City. The 12-ring event stop, which runs through March 12, is among the most anticipated tournament series on the East Coast, as evidenced by attractive numbers in the preliminary events. The stop will culminate in the $1,600 Main Event beginning on March 10, but there were a number of motivating stories that developed throughout the prelims, though none more interesting than that of Brandon Croft, a 31-year-old recreational player from Sumter, South Carolina. Crofts story began in Event #3: $555 No-Limit Holdem, which attracted 253 players and created a prize pool of $122,705. Croft managed to navigate the field and captured his first WSOP Circuit ring, not to mention the $30,062 first-place prize. A few days later in Event #5: $555 NLHE, which drew 263 entrants and created a prize pool of $127,555. Croft was at it again. He certainly had momentum and experience as the event was the same buy-in and nearly the same size as his previous win, so watching him capture the gold ring was basically dj vu. That win made Croft an early favorite, if not a virtual lock, to claim the Caesars Atlantic City Casino Championship, which would qualify him for the National Championship along with the eventual winner of the Main Event. Here’s a look at the WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City events completed thus far: Michael McGuinness, winner of Event #1 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #1: No-Limit Holdem Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $300+$45 667 $194,097 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Michael McGuinness Toms River, NJ $39,790 2 Riley Hilton Clintonville, WI $24,621 3 Norman Rodriguez New York, NY $18,059 4 David Kim Flushing, NY $13,430 5 Kevin Milton Stewartstown, PA $10,122 6 Anthony Erekat Lodi, NJ $7,731 7 Matt Iles Atco, NJ $5,982 8 Peter Luo New York, NY $4,689 9 John Ernst Oakhurst, NJ $3,723 Sarah Dygert, winner of Event #2 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #2: No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $300+$45 887 $258,121 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Sarah Dygert Alfred, NY $50,333 2 John Delrossi Mantua, NJ $31,103 3 Russell Pittman Roanoke, VA $22,910 4 Michael Green Baltimore, MD $17,098 5 Rex Clinkscales Las Vegas, NV $12,926 6 Stephen Scales Red Bank, NJ $9,899 7 Chris Hoback Alexandria, VA $7,676 8 Caroline Weng Forest Hills, NY $6,027 9 Yevgeniy Sorkin Rockville, MD $4,791 Brandon Croft, winner of Event #3 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Event #3: No-Limit Holdem Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $500+$55 253 $122,705 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Brandon Croft Sumter, SC $30,062 2 Joseph Stuckey Hicksville, NY $18,575 3 Michael Muscatello Seaford, NY $13,420 4 Samuel Elderfield Nanaimo, BC $9,876 5 Jonathan Sorscher Lynbrook, NY $7,399 6 James Governa Richboro, PA $5,638 7 Abraham Faroni Penn Valley, PA $4,368 8 Alex Rocha S. Setuaket, NY $3,439 9 Brian Ali Brooklyn, NY $2,751 Ali Navid, winner of Event #4 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #4: No Limit Holdem Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $300+$45 495 $144,045 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Ali Navid Centreville, VA $30,969 2 Rexford McCaffrey Millville, NJ $19,147 3 Todd Brenn Tallmadge, OH $13,988 4 Brian Grzywaczewski Montgomery, NY $10,969 5 Edward Shade Hurricane, WV $7,799 6 Robert Cochrane Hagerstown, MD $5,949 7 Rajiv Khanna Floral Park, NY $4,602 8 Chris Reslock Atlantic City, NJ $3,611 9 Thomas Savitsky Randolph, NJ $2,873 Brandon Croft, winner of Event #5 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Event #5: No-Limit Hold’em Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $500+$55 263 $127,555 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Brandon Croft Sumter, SC $31,251 2 Thomas Ross Brooklyn, NY $19,309 3 Timothy Little Cheverly, MD $13,951 4 Stephen Scales Red Bank, NJ $10,267 5 Benjamin Carli Alliance, OH $7,692 6 Jesse Mercado Brooklyn, NY $5,861 7 Michael ODea Mt. Airy $4,540 8 Wesley Ismay Tempe, AZ $3,575 9 Heather Sue Mercer New York, NY $2,859 Keith Binder, winner of Event #6 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #6: No-Limit Holdem Six Handed Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $300+$45 369 $107,379 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Keith Binder Highland Mills, NY $23,623 2 Dave Fox Coram, NY $14,598 3 Dejuante Alexander Houston, TX $10,667 4 Arkadiy Tsinis Las Vegas, NV $7,920 5 Rusian Dykshteyn Brooklyn, NY $5,972 6 Anthony Pesce Saint James, NY $4,571 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #7: No-Limit Holdem Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $500+$55 286 $138,710 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 Abraham Araya Carrollton, TX $33,290 2 Wooyang Lin Morristown, NJ $20,573 3 Michael Wolf Staten Island, NY $14,928 4 Amanda Musumeci Philadelphia, PA $11,014 5 Joseph Desanto New York, NY $8,260 6 Austen Johnson Woodsboro, MD $6,295 7 Justin Turner Manassas, VA $4,871 8 Christopher Halkitis St. Louis, MO $3,828 9 Leo Whitt Louisville, KY $3,054 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Ring Event #8: Limit Omaha Eight or Better Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool $300+$45 160 $46,560 Place Player Hometown Prize 1 David Key Baton Rouge, LA $12,571 2 Chris Reslock Atlantic City, NJ $7,769 3 Dale Beaudoin Bar Harbor, ME $5,592 4 Gregory Law Mount Laurel, NJ $4,099 5 James Toth Leesburg, VA $3,057 6 Robert Gray Atlantic City, NJ $2,320 7 Zachary Kramer Syosset, NY $1,791 8 Charles Levinsohn Monmouth Beach, NJ $1,405 9 Laurence Goldstein Commack, NY $1,120 With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City Casino Champion is undecided. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $1 Million National Championship. That event is limited to 100 players, and so far only a handful of players have qualified: National Championship Qualifiers Player Qualified David Nicholson Horseshoe Bossier City Main Event Winner Chris Gamboa Horseshoe Bossier City Casino Champion Robert Castoire Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Winner Mark Pegasus Smith Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion Bob Chow Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Winner Drazen Ilich Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion Gene Dudek IP Biloxi Casino Champion Jerry Monroe IP Biloxi Main Event Winner Michael Rosenbach Lake Tahoe Casino Champ Bryan Schultz Lake Tahoe Main Event Champion Tuan Phan Harrahs AC Main Event Winner Hao Le Harrahs AC Casino Champ Freddy Deeb Bicycle Casino Main Event Winner Huy Quach Bicycle Casino Champ Raja Kattamuri Choctaw Casino Champ Abraham Araya Choctaw Main Event Champion Gary Bolden Caesars Palace Casino Champ Kevin Calenzo Caesars Palace Main Event Winner Matthew Weber Harrahs Tunica Casino Champ Kurt Jewell Harrahs Tunica Main Event Winner Charles Flett Palm Beach Casino Champ James Harnden Palm Beach Main Event Winner In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy-in to the National Championship: WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten* Player Points Rings Cashed Earnings David Clark 165 1 7 $56,209 Mark P0ker H0 Kroon 137.5 1 6 $61,156 Chris Parsons 132.5 0 6 $72,849 Russell Ivy 130 0 7 $72,703 Benjamin Kramer 130 1 8 $58,600 Michael Cooper 130 0 7 $55,092 Roman Valerstein 125 0 5 $116,282 Chris Tryba 125 0 7 $31,673 Daniel Lowery 122.5 0 6 $240,522 Matthew Chang 122.5 1 7 $25,468 *Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City stop. Dont miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule. Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule Event Location Dates Circuit Event Harrahs Rincon March 15 – 26, 2012 Circuit Event Horseshoe Council Bluffs March 29 – April 9, 2012 Circuit Event Harrahs St. Louis April 12 – 23, 2012 Circuit Event Harrahs Chester April 26 – May 7, 2012 Circuit Event Harrahs New Orleans May 10 – 21, 2012 *Photos courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this week by following our Live Reporting Teams coverage from the Caesars Atlantic City. 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]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/03/10/previewing-the-2011-2012-world-series-of-poker-circuit-caesars-atlantic-city/feed/ 0 City Club Casino celebrates 10 years in online gaming http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/29/city-club-casino-celebrates-10-years-in-online-gaming/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/29/city-club-casino-celebrates-10-years-in-online-gaming/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:36:16 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/29/city-club-casino-celebrates-10-years-in-online-gaming/ City Club Casino celebrates 10 years in online gaming
24 May 2010 This year, City Club Casino celebrates ten years in the industry. In honor of their birthday, City Club has completely re-vamped its website, complete with cutting edge graphics, fantastic new games and a brand new welcome bonus package.City Club’s new welcome bonus package allows players to earn $5,600 in deposit bonuses. With a generous first deposit bonus of 400%, players will have the chance to win even more with this casino. The first deposit bonus is simple: Deposit $20, play with $100. Deposit $100, play with $500. City Club presents their players with an easy sign up and download process. Players are instructed to log onto the casino website (http://www.cityclubcasino.com), download and register, deposit and their bonus will be added automatically to their account. Players who are Macintosh users can play using the casino’s flash version.Additionally City Club has upgraded their VIP loyalty program. Players can now receive a higher comp point conversion rate, constant exclusive loyalty bonuses and promotions, better deposit options, and quick cash-outs.For a decade, City Club Casino has provided players around the world with the highest quality gaming experience. City Club has remained the most trusted gaming source in the industry throughout its tenure. Because of the casino’s reputation for creativity and innovation, they remain one of the top Casinos that any rising competitor aims to match.Celebrate with City Club.About City Club CasinoLaunched in 2001, City Club Casino (http://www.cityclubcasino.com) is operated by the cutting edge Playtech platform, and is fully licensed by the Gaming Commission of the government of The Netherlands Antilles. City Club features a wide variety of table games, card games, video poker, keno, single-line, multi-line, video and progressive slots games, totaling to over 250 games.In addition to a wide selection of games, City Club offers competitive bonus and promotion offers. Currently, players get 400% bonus on their first deposit and $5,600 through their welcome bonus package.City Club Casino provides 24/7 customer service, and guarantees prompt responses to any questions or concerns. Support can be contacted via live chat, telephone, e-mail and fax. The customer service team is led by highly trained managers and gaming experts, who are eager to assist their players. OPN Staff All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

]]> http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/29/city-club-casino-celebrates-10-years-in-online-gaming/feed/ 0 Strategy with Kristy: Quinn Sivage Discusses Min-Raising Button http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/25/strategy-with-kristy-quinn-sivage-discusses-min-raising-button/ http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/25/strategy-with-kristy-quinn-sivage-discusses-min-raising-button/#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:36:13 +0000 admin http://pokerjoy.biz/index.php/2012/02/25/strategy-with-kristy-quinn-sivage-discusses-min-raising-button/ Strategy with Kristy: Quinn Sivage Discusses Min-Raising Button
February 16 2012, Kristy Arnett Related Articles Strategy with Kristy: John Kim Part Two Strategy with Kristy: John Kim Part One Strategy with Kristy: Jared Tendler on the Mental Game of Poker Pt 1 Share It Tags PokerNews Strategy, PokerNews Podcast, Poker Strategy, Online Poker Print Quinn Sivage is a professional poker player who specializes in using stats to crush mid-stakes online poker cash games. Last week on the Strategy with Kristy podcast, Sivage discussed using statistics for optimal preflop strategy in six-max no-limit hold’em games. This week, he answers listener questions and also talks about why it is so profitable, in online cash games, to raise the minimum when it folds to you on the button. Here is a snippet from the interview: The fact is that the button is such a ridiculously good position. You dont need to make it any bigger than a min-raise. Heres the really cool thing. If you min-raise, it makes their [a player from the small or big blind] three-bet a little bit worse because now there is just less in the pot. There is only 1.5 big blinds to win from the pot and your two big blinds. Its only 3.5 big blinds that they are trying to win by three-betting out of position. So, it makes your raise a stronger play, it makes their counter-move weaker, and it makes your counter-counter move, the four-bet, stronger, as well. Because you kept the pot small, you can make your four-bet ridiculously small like 17 or 18 big blinds to win almost that much. That makes their next move, the five-bet shove, even more unattractive because there are only 30 to 35 big blinds in the pot, and having to risk 100 big blinds. Min-raising the button makes all of your counter actions stronger, and it makes your opponents ways to defend it, weaker. The button is just a really tough position to mess up. If you want to make it bigger, sure if there is a recreational player in the blinds and you just want to build a nice big pot. But, in general I think the min-raise is better. Then, you can start to play more buttons. There are guys who will min-raise every button if it’s folded to them. I’m not going to advocate whether or not you should be stealing 100 percent there. You just have to know what the consequences are of whatever your button-steal percentage is. Sure, it can be 100 percent, you just have to realize that, and you might have to make some adjustments. Podcast Powered By Podbean Tune in every week for new episodes of Strategy with Kristy. Feel free to send in questions, ideas or suggestions for the podcast to kristy@pokernews.com. Also remember to follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news. Follow Kristy Arnett on Comments

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