Subscription Poker: The Future of US Poker Online?

September 16, 2010

A new form of online poker introduced by Intelimax Media allegedly doesn’t violate the UIGEA while still making available to online US players a competitive arena to play ring games and tournaments for cash online. Subscription poker in theory is excluded from the laws in the US that define online gambling. Intelimax isn’t the first company to introduce subscription poker, they are the first to present the concept as an actual replacement for the illegal online poker play that US players have come accustomed to.

Here’s how it works: For a monthly fee (a subscription), players have access to the poker games. Rather than chips that equate to a real money value, the chips are backed by a prize for the tournament or game winner or multiple prizes for a pool of winners. Alternatively, credits are accumulated by players by spending time on the site, which can be redeemed for merchandise and even cash.

While many serious players who desire to play online poker as a profession claim that subscription poker isn’t and never will be as profitable as cash-value poker, many casual online poker players have embraced the concept, especially attracted to the fact that it is in fact legal. One pro to this form of online poker is that the operators of such sites would have no useful purpose to rig the games and tourneys on the site with bots and other forms of game control.

If nothing is ever resolved with the illegal poker saga in the US, or if the end result is not a positive one, subscription poker could very well be the future of online poker in the United States. While it’s not technically the same, it’s better than nothing and makes the game more of a social sport than a fiercely competitive activity that is often associated with compulsive gambling and destructive behavior.

Software Upgrades at PokerStars

September 16, 2010

PokerStars has recently introduced a new software upgrade. You may have logged in to your PokerStars player account lately and received a pop up notification prompting you to update your software. Here’s some of the new features and upgrades you can look forward to:

Automatic Buy-In Feature Added: When you log in to PS, this option will automatically buy-in to a table at a pre-set amount.

Automatic Seating Feature: Get a seat at a table automatically straight from the lobby.

Enhanced Session Options: Change session options within the table you’re playing in instead of exiting to the lobby to adjust session options.

Improved Notes: This upgrade now prevents notes from being lost during disconnections or mid-session software malfunctions.

Improved Tourney Display: View tournaments corresponding with tourney tickets you’ve got in your account.

Layout Enhancements: Some features at the table were rearranged to avoid wrongful clicking, especially regarding the Advanced Action Check button, which players suggested was positioned too closely to the Call button. This is a perfect example of the PokerStars commitment to honor players and listen to their comments and concerns.

Multi-Tabling Stack Feature: This option allows you to organize multiple tables in addition to the already existing features, cascade and tile.

Stats Tracking: View your opponents’ average stack size before you sit down at a table.

No Chat Feature: Let other players know that you are not available for chat.

Previous Hand Access: Review your previous hand after the fact.

While some software upgrades are often not noticeable, this PokerStars update is worth it. It’s the little things that ultimately make the online poker experience more enjoyable, rewarding, and successful.

British Poker Awards Take Place this Month

September 9, 2010

Vote for your favorite poker player today and tomorrow at thebritishpokerawards.com. The first annual British Poker Awards will happen this month on Monday, September 13. The ceremony will be held in London at the Kensington Close Hotel and will give out 11 awards in various categories including overall Player of the Year.

The categories include Best Cash Player (nominees: Richard Ashby, Neil Channing, Luke Schwartz, Ben Roberts, Ben Grundy, and Bambos Xanthos); Best Tournament Player (nominees: Sam Trickett, James Akenhead, Praz Bansi, Chris Moorman, JP Kelly, and James Dempsey); Best Online Player (nominees: Richard “Chufty” Ashby, Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, Luke “__FullFlush1__” Schwartz, Lawrence “Rivermanl” Houghton, and Ben “milkybarkid” Grundy.

Not only can you vote online for your favorite players, you can also purchase tickets to the grand event for only £39. MC Michael Caselli says, “We have always wanted to make the awards as accessible for the poker playing public possible. This is like the BAFTAs of poker and we want every poker enthusiasts to be able to experience a slice of the upper echelon of British Poker.”

Comedian Yianni Agisilaou will co-host with Anotonio “The Magician” Esfandiari.

Casselli adds, “Antonio is one of the game’s biggest personalities, and I am so excited that he is the Master of Ceremonies at the first British Poker Awards.”

The event which will commence at 7:00 p.m. on September 13th will be preceded by a cocktail party and followed by a £50 NL tourney in which poker fans will be able to rub elbows and actually get a chance to play against all the nominees.

PPA Speaks out Against Commerce Casino

September 8, 2010

Poker advocate organization, Poker Players Alliance (PPA), has taken a stand against Commerce Casino. The corporation has allegedly put the profits of the casino ahead of the needs of the players, joining the cause to prohibit online poker activity in the US. The million-member group launched a campaign to directly target Commerce Casino in hopes they will change their position on regulation of and federal licensure of online poker as proposed in the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (HR 2267). With signatures from more than 120 high profile poker advocates that include Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Phile Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and Barry Greenstein, the “Players Before Profits” campaign and address to Commerce Casino proves to be robust.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas says, “Members of the PPA, and poker players nationwide, are outraged that the Commerce Casino, the largest poker room in the nation, opposes Federal legislation that would protect players’ rights and access to online poker. They are angry and want to make their voices heard. The PPA’s ‘Players Before Profits’ campaign gives poker players a vehicle to express their disappointment with Commerce Casino.”

The opposition Commerce Casino has taken towards online poker legislation is a result of their advocacy for California-only regulation and licensure in order to form a monopolized market in which they would be the primary provider of online gambling in California. Intra-state licensing however would also mean that online poker in Cali would only permit Californian players to play on Californian sites. This would restrict poker activity for players who reside in California.

The PPA is urging members and players to email, call, or tweet to Commerce Casino expressing their dissatisfaction with their refusal to support HR 2267.

Pappas adds, “The poker community has been fighting tooth and nail for years for a safe, regulated online poker industry in the United States, and it is disheartening to see one of our own turn its back on this effort – and the safety of players – in order to maximize their own profits. I urge all poker players to contact Commerce Casino and express your disappointment.”

UB Charity Event Live and Online this Weekend

September 7, 2010

UB and Vinny Lecavalier (NHL Tampa Bay Lightning) will host the Lecavalier Poker Charity tournament on September 10, as well as a $10 buy-in online fundraiser on this month’s second Sunday, September 12. The cause is pediatric cancer, and the big live tourney will run at 7:00 p.m. on Friday at Derby Lane in St. Pete, Florida. Charitable funds will be donated to the new Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. This center is one of the largest in Florida and provides the best in technology, research, and teaching, as well as patient care.

Representing UB and as a VIP privilege, Annie Duke and Joe Sebok will appear at the event.

Sebok of Team UB says, “This was such an incredible no-brainer for us to get involved. Being able to help out is a privilege for Annie and myself, and when you throw in benefiting children it’s just all that much better. I just hope I don’t get body-checked if I put a bad beat on one of the Lightning players.”

The TH tournament will feature a $550 buy-in with rebuys available for $100. There are more than 40 sports and entertainment personalities expected to show up to vie for the $100K prize pool. For $750, players can buy into the event plus enter a boot camp on poker with Duke and Sebok. More info on the live event is available at www.vinny4.com.

If you’re interested in the online event taking place on the second Sunday of September, the event will begin at 14:45 ET and be hosted by Sebok. UB will be matching the prize pool by 100% with all funds going to the charity above and an additional $2150 will be awarded in added prizes. The top 10 places will be awarded with a ticket to the weekly $215 buy-in Sunday $200K Guaranteed, and first place will also win a wireless poker controller. Knock out Sebok and get an additional prize, entry into the $7K GTD tournament running later that same day at 21:30ET.

Case Against Online Poker Payment Processor Closed

August 20, 2010

Last year’s US court case regarding Ahmad Khawaja, online payment processor, is finally over after the FBI confiscated more than $13 million from Allied Systems and Allied Wallet, two payment processors involved in online poker transactions with the world’s biggest online poker site, PokerStars.

The FBI claims that funds were seized after violations of the UIGEA was violated, though the confiscated amount is only a fraction of the total value of cash that what was actually transferred back and forth via the two processors during 2009.

The investigation that ultimately brought down the companies involved specifically eight bank accounts that were allegedly in direct conflict with orders set forth by the UIGEA. In defense of the accused, it was argued that the UIGEA was convoluted and in fact permitted such transactions to be made legally. Unfortunately though, however such transactions may be “hidden” in writing, efforts to slip them under the radar were not effective in these cases.

A statement made by PokerStars follows:

“PokerStars does not condone efforts by processors to conceal the nature or purpose of funds used to play online poker. PokerStars has taken steps to ensure that processors properly disclose the nature of their business to their relevant financial institutions.”

Attacking the payment processors that facilitate online poker transfers is the only way for the feds to enforce the UIGEA, as there is no actual criminal activity taking place. The UIGEA is in fact convoluted and while it hasn’t done much to stop or even deter the existence and progression of online poker, and gambling in general for that matter in the US, it does point fingers at the financial institutions that facilitate online gambling between players and the gambling sites.

Chinese Cheaters Outed at PokerStars

August 20, 2010

According to the 2+2 forum, a recent scandal on PokerStars resulted in the discovery of a Chinese collusion ring, which led to a $2 million refund to affected players. The popular poker forum revealed that there were multiple Chinese players registering for the same Double or Nothing (DoN) sit and go tourneys around the $52 to $104 buy-ins. These single-table tourneys start out with 10 players and the last five players standing cash out with double the buy-in.

In the case of the Chinese cheaters, the players would reveal to each other their hole cards and purposely exchange piles of chips to ensure they’d cash out winners. These guys’ ironically outed by one of their own. One of the players, “Jane0123” posted a thread in May that stated PokerStars had suspended his account and frozen the $10K in it. This was the resulted of regular DoN players reporting to PokerStars that something seemed fishy.

A month later, PokerStars paid out just under $600K to affected players, but Stars players demanding more, and the reparations were recently upped to $2 million. Although the online poker site has done much to amend the issue, there still seems to be a problem. 2+2 posters have still reported new accounts held by Chinese players with similar playing styles to that of the collusion ring in tournaments and 7-card stud games.

While the problem is obviously far from over, there is likely to be some sort of policy put in place to prevent this from happening in the future, as it seems like this practice has become an epidemic that will hopefully be contained very soon. This isn’t the first time that online poker has been the center of a scandal, but the PokerStars brand name and reputation is now tarnished. However, Stars is much too big an empire to allow such a negative connotation to be associated with their brand as say UltimateBet, which ultimately re-branded as UB.com in an effort to save what little dignity they had left.

Legends of Poker Begins Friday in LA

August 19, 2010

The World Poker Tour will host the Main Event of the $5K Legends of Poker NL Hold ‘em championship on August 20th at the Bicycle Casino in LA. Day 1A begins at 1:00 p.m. PDT and Day 1B will follow on Saturday, August 21st, culminating on Wednesday the 25th.

Participants will start the tourney off with 25K chips at nine-handed tables with blinds starting at 50/100 and 90-minute levels with 10-minute breaks between. A dinner break is scheduled each night of the tournament from 7:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Preliminary events began on July 28th and 21 events have resulted in winners including Soheil Shamseddin with a $10K win on $225 PL Omaha 8s or Better with Rebuys and Murdock Schelechi’s $130K win in the $335 NL Hold ‘em event that saw more than 1,700 registrants and a guaranteed prize pool of $400K.

Last year, the Legends of Poker tournament crowned Prahlad Friedman champion with a $1+ million purse, who placed first after buying into a 279-player field with $10K that resulted in a $2.6 million prize pool and 27 places paid. Other past winners include the legendary Doyle Brunson, who won the third Legends of Poker tournament and a cash out of almost $1.2 million.

With the buy-in reduced by 50% this year, there is likely to be a bigger starting players field than years past. Of course the prize pool is likely to be cut as well, but it shouldn’t deter attendance.

The tentative schedule for the tournament will continue through Tuesday daily at 1:00 p.m. until the final table is determined. On Wednesday, the final table will resume play at 4:00 p.m. until a winner is determined.

Mizrachi Signs as a Poker Instructor with DeepStacks Live

August 16, 2010

Recently, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi landed a spot in the 2010 WSOP Main Event final table. Now in 7th place in terms of chips in this year’s November Nine, Mizrachi has come a long way in the five or so years that he’s been playing. Racking up more than $8.5 million in tournament winnings, $2 million of that from the 23 WSOP cashes he’s incurred including a first place win in the $50K Players’ Championship, the Grinder is a force to be reckoned with in the poker world.

It is for this reason that he’s been signed with DeepStacks Live exclusively as a poker instructor. Not just a pro at an online poker site, Mizrachi’s deal provides a real job with a poker training site company. Mizrachi will actually be teaching poker classes in Florida where new laws have allowed for uncapped play. It is important for poker players in Florida to learn new tactics and change their approach to poker in order to defend themselves when more experienced players come in from out of state.

“I had a lot of options after the WSOP, but DeepStacks Live was the right fit for how I play and how I want to teach others to play. They are the most innovative and hands-on training company,” stated Mizrachi in a press release.
Mizrachi will join the ranks at DeepStacks Live with other famous poker players and instructors, Hall of Famers Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Tom McEvoy, and TJ Cloutier.

To find out where upcoming training locations and sessions will be held in Florida, as well as California, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, and throughout Canada, visit www.deepstacks.com.

Criminal Allowed to Play Poker to Save Jail Time

August 12, 2010

Samuel McMaster, an ex-stockbroker from New Mexico and poker conman, convicted of swindling at least 20 people is being given an unusual shot to pay off his debts. He has been given the opportunity to compete in live poker tournaments throughout the country in an effort to earn the money back he owes to his victims.

McMaster, who admitted to 26 felonies of securities fraud, owes $444K to his victims. He has been given a delayed sentence so that he may work over the next six months to win restitution owed of $7,500 per month. If he misses two of those payments, he will immediately return to court to face sentencing of up to 12 years in prison.

McMaster’s attorney claims that his only source of income right now is poker. He’s actually been accused of using the stolen money to originally fund his gambling habit. McMaster is known as a poker shark and pro, but that remains to be seen. Over the last seven years, he’s own cash a few times in live tourneys and for minimal amounts since 2003, the biggest cash out being a $1,000 buy-in to a 2008 Bellagio tournament in which he won $12,550. He’s never even cashed at the WSOP. The court has actually granted him leave to play out of state tournaments.

Because the IRS recognizes pro poker as a profession, the New Mexico judge claimed there was not reason enough to prevent McMaster from “working” in order to earn the money to pay back to his victims. Furthermore, he poses no real threat.

The New Mexico prosecutor on the case, Phyllis Bowman, said, “There’s nothing to indicate he is a violent threat to society. The conditions of his release have nothing to do with his profession.”

It all seems very unconventional when taken in perspective of the US judicial system. However, according to Kelly O’Donnel, superintendent of New Mexico’s state regulation and licensing department, “If he demonstrates an ability to successfully meet his restitution payments by playing poker, it potentially could sway the judge’s decision on final sentencing. How much jail time he gets ultimately is up to the judge.”

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