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Poker Player Accused of Murder

January 6, 2011

The trial begins this week of poker player Ernest Scherer III, who is accused of murder. Scherer allegedly murdered his own parents back in March of 2008 in their home in California. The accused reportedly owed substantial amounts in gambling debts, so the motive for murder was his $1.5 million inheritance. Scherer III was eventually arrested in Las Vegas in February 2009, almost a year after the murders of 60-year-old Ernest Scherer Jr., a real estate investor, and 57-year-old Charlene Abendroth, a college professor took place.

While a gag order put in place by Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner for the county where the murders took place has been put on the case, it is known that a witness for the prosecution is an identified woman claiming she was the victim of domestic violence acts by Scherer III in July 2008. The prosecution claims they will contest the testimony in order to prove he never showed violence.

Both father and son were poker players, but Scherer III and his wife were at least $40K in credit and loan debt and had been unable to pay their property tax and home mortgage before the murders.

Now he is accused of two counts of murder and faces two special circumstance allegations: murder for financial gain and multiple murder and murder for financial gain. The trial is now finally underway as of Tuesday after weeks of pre-trial discovery and motions, as well as jury selection.

Written by Bea · Filed Under Poker News 

2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year

January 6, 2011

The 2011 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year results were announced, and Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur earned the title, building up an all-time record resulting in 11,030 points for the entire year. Paur’s points soared above second runner up and last year’s POY, Steve “gboro780” Gross for both years and Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis, who was the POY for 2008.

Twenty-two-year-old Paur took down the Full Tilt Poker $75K Guaranteed on December 27 for almost $25K, securing the POY title. Furthermore he racked up more than $1 million in online poker winnings for 2010, about 2/3 of his lifetime earnings. In 2010 he won 13 tourneys, six of them for more than $80K. His biggest score of the year was the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $15 Rebuy, which garnered him more than $192K.

Criteria for the POY requires that players win ranked tournaments on sites including PokerStars, UB.com, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and Bodog. Furthermore, only tourneys with a $100+ buy-in are eligible, and the prize pool must total $100K cash or more.

It was quite the accomplishment for Paur to beat last year’s POY, Gross, who has accumulated $5+ million in winnings since 2005. Gross was also runner up in 2008. He is one of the most prestigious players in online poker.

Also in the top five for the 2010 POY runner was Casey “bigdogpckt5s’ Jarzabek, who won $780K+ in 2010 and has been in the top 10 for two years in a row now. Chris “Getting Daize” Oliver and Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet also ranked in the top five.

Written by Marcus · Filed Under Poker News 

Full Tilt Store Rewards to Change

January 5, 2011

Don’t miss out on your last week to participate in the Full Tilt Store Holiday Giveaway which ends on January 9th at midnight ET. Don’t let your Full Tilt Points go to waste—trade them in! Changes will be made to the Full Tilt Store starting January 10th, 2011, which will correspond with changes in the FTP system that were previously put into effect.

The Full Tilt Poker site states: “We will be updating the prices of certain items in the Full Tilt Store beginning on January 10th to correspond with the changes in the Full Tilt Points system implemented earlier this year. Merchandise such as electronics and clothing will be re-priced to more accurately reflect their value.”

One thing that will not change is the price of tournament tickets.

The Full Tilt Store Holiday Giveaway honors players who spend at least 7,500 FTPs in the Full Tilt or Black Card Stores. Those who spend between 7,500 FTPs and 14,999 FTPs will get a free Step 1 ticket along with their purchase(s). Players who trade up to 39,999 FTPs will earn a Step 2 ticket, and those who spend up to 74,999 will get a Step 3 ticket. Spend up to 139,999 and get a $50 cash bonus. Spend 140,000 FTPs or more, get a $100 bonus.

Another reason to spend your points now is that anyone who makes a purchase before January 9th will earn a seat in the $50K Holiday Giveaway Freeroll. This tourney will be held on January 16th at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Now through the 9th of January 2011 is your last chance to use the old Full Tilt Store price structure. Some of the things available in the store are Full Tilt Poker merchandise, electronics, and other great items.

Written by Bea · Filed Under Poker News 

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