May 30 2012, Brett Collson

The summer tournament scene in Las Vegas will have a major impact on the Player of the Year races. Is Jonathan Duhamel already in danger of losing his lead in the GPI Player of the Year? We’ll cover that story plus a survey about online poker in California, in the latest edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

What effect does music have on your mood at the poker table? Lynn Gilmartin takes a look at some tracks that might help players stay focused in the latest Stay Stacked.

Some big-name players made Day 3 of the WSOP $1,500 no-limit hold’em Event #2. Find out which pros are vying for a bracelet in our daily WSOP recap.

Which story lines should you be watching for at the WSOP on Wednesday? Read about them in the latest WSOP What to Watch For.

Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? The Muck will offer several daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!

Rettenmaier, O’Dwyer Enter GPI Player of the Year Top 10

Jonathan Duhamal topped the 2012 Global Poker Index Player of the Year rankings for the 14th straight week, but a couple contenders have entered the race following impressive performances in Las Vegas last week.

Marvin Rettenmaier and Steve O’Dwyer vaulted into the top 10 after making the final table of the $25,000 buy-in World Poker Tour World Championship at the Bellagio. Rettenmaier won the event, collecting nearly $1.2 million in the process, and jumped 50 spots in the rankings to No. 6 in the GPI Player of the Year race. O’Dwyer finished fifth in the WPT Championship and improved 12 spots to No. 4.

Frenchman Phillippe Ktorza finished runner-up to Rettemaier in the event and jumped 130 spots to No. 23 in this week’s standings. Other big movers this week were Moon Kim (up 137 spots to No. 45), Tom Marchese (up 199 spots to No. 54) and Matt Juttelstad (up 135 spots to No. 73). Marchese bested a tough field of 34 players to win the $100,000 buy-in WPT High Roller for more than $1.3 million.

Here’s a look at the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:

GPI Player of the Year Top 10

The Global Poker Index Player of the Year, presented by PokerNews, honors the player who has the strongest performance in live tournaments during the calendar year, according to the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.

California Divided on Internet Poker

A new survey conducted by USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times shows that California voters are nearly split on the prospect of legalized intrastate online poker.

More than 1,000 registered voters were questioned between May 17 and 21 about online poker and other forms of gambling. The poll showed that 47 percent of voters would favor legalization of online poker if the activity could raise money toward education, public safety and other government services for the cash-strapped state.

The Los Angeles Times reports that many of the polled voters were concerned about problem gamblers setting a bad example for young people.

In February, California Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) introduced a bill that would allow online poker to be played within the state. The Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012, also known as SB 1463, seeks to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state in the fiscal year 2012-13.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Bwin.Party Launches Social Gaming Strategy

Online gambling giant bwin.party has launched strategy that will see the company invest up to $50 million over the next two years in a new social gaming platform.

This week, bwin.party broadened its reach into social gaming by acquiring gaming developers Velasco and Orneon. Bwin.party says that the $23 million purchase for the companies covered several existing business-to-business social gaming contracts and significant software engineering resources.

The investment will include the establishment of a social games studio called Win, which will develop and launch social games, as well as a dedicated social gaming technology platform.

Bwin.party’s first social gaming product will be a poker-based product followed by a casino and sportsbook application by the end of the year.

Commenting on Wednesday’s announcement, bwin.party co-CEOs Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger said: “We have chosen a ‘build and partner’ strategy, one that provides us with both the resources and additional management expertise to execute our planned extension into social gaming – an exciting and fast growing area of digital entertainment that is the latest addition to our business strategy.”

Read more at bwin.party.com.

Perfect Match

Matchbook.com doesn’t have an online poker room, but the betting company has loaded up with high-profile pros to sponsor during the 2012 World Series of Poker.

The site, which is striving to become the top destination for all poker betting, has put together a team of ten poker pros during the two-month poker festival in Las Vegas. The team is starred by Sam Trickett and Dan “Jungleman” Cates, both of whom are considered among the toughest cash-game players in the world. Trickett also has a striking tournament résumé and will be playing in the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop tournament during this summer’s WSOP.

“It was an easy choice partnering with Matchbook for the WSOP,” Trickett said. “Not only are all the players extremely talented but the majority of the team is also very good friends. It’s a unique environment to have as a poker team but provides us all with added support. I’m sure we are all going to have a fun and profitable summer together.”

Other members of Team Matchbook are WSOP bracelet winners JP Kelly and Matt Perrins, Roberto Romanello, James Akenhead, Martins Adeniya, Ben Vinon, Jarred Solomon and John Hewitt.

Read more right here at PokerNews.com.

Explain This: Shaun Deeb

After his quick exit from WSOP Event #4, Shaun Deeb sat down with PokerNews’ Sarah Grant for the latest edition of Explain This.

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April 19 2012, Brett Collson, Donnie Peters

It was a busy Thursday in the world of poker. The AGCC set a hearing to discuss a Full Tilt Poker gaming license, PokerStars ended its long feud with a data mining site, and a Massachusetts lawmaker is urging the state to adopt an Internet poker platform. We’ll cover those stories and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The World Poker Tour returned to Hollwood, Florida, on Wednesday. For a look at Day 1 of the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown, check out our daily WPT recap.

All In: The Poker Movie is still generating buzz in theaters across the world. Writer and producer Doug Tirola recently sat down with PokerWorks’ Linda Geenen to discuss the documentary.

Looking for some podcasts to help your day move along quicker? You’re in luck. The PokerNews Podcast and Strategy With Kristy both hit the airwaves on Thursday. You can find them both, along with all of our other podcasts in the PokerNews Podcast archives.

Day 3 of the 2012 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Berlin Main Event came to a close on Thursday evening. Only 24 players remain, and several notables are still in contention for the “825,000 top prize.

For the first time since the inception of the Global Poker Index, Erik Seidel was not ranked in the Top 20. Mickey Doft breaks down this week’s shift in the rankings.

The Big One for One Drop at the upcoming World Series of Poker will be stacked with wealthy amateurs. Rich Ryan explains why poker pros should be harvesting funds together to compete in the $1 million buy-in event.

Before Black Friday, Blair Hinkle won the FTOPS XIX Main Event for more than $1.1 million. How much was he able to cash out before the site was seized? We asked him that and more in the Black Friday Chronicles.

Massachusetts Lawmaker Pushes for Online Poker

Nevada, New Jersey, California, and Delaware are currently in the process of developing intrastate online poker platforms. Is Massachusetts next?

On Thursday, the Boston Herald reported that Rep. Dan Winslow is urging Massachusetts to create three licenses for intrastate internet poker. Winslow is promoting the idea that online poker will infuse revenue and new jobs into the state. He hopes the recent Department of Justice opinion on the Wire Act will allow his plan to gain traction before Congress breaks for recess.

The Herald reports that each license would require a minimum $10 million, and operators would pay a 25 percent tax on proceeds.

“Internet poker is a game of skill that fits our high tech job profile perfectly,” Winslow said in a statement, according to the Herald. “We can create new, high paying tech jobs by leading the launch of this new industry in the United States.”

The Boston Herald has more.

AGCC Hearing on Full Tilt Poker License

Laurent’s Tapie’s goal to re-launch Full Tilt Poker by the end of this month may have been a pipe dream. But his vision might not be far off.

Over the past few months, Tapie has been working with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) to resurrect FTP’s operating license. On Thursday, the AGCC set a public hearing for a Category 2 license application submitted by Full Tilt Poker subsidiary Orinic Limited. Orinic had its non-operating Category 1 license suspended for six months last year. A Category 2 license would allow the new Full Tilt Poker to operate a gambling business.

The hearing will take place on Thursday, May 3 at the Braye Beach Hotel in Alderney.

With the pending deal between Groupe Bernard Tapie and FTP growing closer by the day, many are wondering what Full Tilt Poker will look like under new management. Daniel Negreanu gave his take on the latest news over at Full Contact Poker on Thursday.

For more on the license hearing, check out the story at PokerNews.com.

Advantage: PokerStars

The legal battle between PokerStars and data-mining website PokerTableRatings.com has apparently come to a close. On Wednesday, Poker Table Ratings announced in a blog that it will fully comply with the cease and desist order issued by PokerStars. All PokerStars player profiles and statistics have been removed from the website, and searches are met with the following message:

“Stars has requested that you not view your poker player profile on PokerTableRatings.com. Please contact Stars support if you would like to see your profile made public again on PTR.”

The decision ends a multi-year war between the two sides. PTR tracked millions of hands on PokerStars and provided data that gives its users an advantage at the online poker table. After it failed to block PTR’s data mining at a technical level, PokerStars enforced legal action against PTR, which resulted in the decision to adhere to the cease-and-desist order.

Read more at PokerNews.com.

Judge Accepts John Campos’ Guilty Plea

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan accepted the guilty plea of Utah banker John Campos, one of the 11 men indicted by the Department of Justice on Black Friday. Campos pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor bank gambling charge last month, but Kaplan refused to accept the plea until the prosecution explained why they let Campos plead guilty to a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

The judge accepted the plea agreement after prosecutors submitted a letter saying Campos’ involvement in illegal online poker transactions was minor. Campos was facing six charges and up to 35 years in prison, but he entered a last-second plea agreement with prosecutors in March.

Campos is the sixth Black Friday defendant to enter a guilty plea. The others are Absolute Poker co-founder Brent Beckley and payment processors Ira Rubin, Ryan Lang, Bradley Franzen, and Chad Elie, who was set to go to trial with Campos this month.

Read more at the Salt Lake Tribune.

Voting is Open!

Season 8 of the European Poker Tour will wrap up in Monaco next month, which means the EPT awards are right around the corner. This week, the EPT released its short list of nominees for the Players Choice Award, which will be voted on by players who competed on the tour throughout the season.

The nominees include a number of Team PokerStars Pros, as well as several others who had success on the EPT during the past year. Here’s a look:

If you played any events on the EPT during Season 8 (including side events), you’re eligible to vote! Voting is open until April 23, the first day of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final Festival of Poker. Visit the EPT Awards ballot website to submit your vote.

Stacked Final Table at Borgata

The 2012 Borgata Spring Poker Open $2,500 Championship Event played down to the final table on Wednesday evening. From the starting field of 520, there were just 10 players remaining vying for the $312,483 first-place prize. Jia Liu held the chip lead heading into Thursday’s final table, and he was joined by notables Chad Batista, Matt Woodward and Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy.

Borgata Spring Poker Open Final Table Seat Draw

Everyone at the final table locked up a minimum payday of $16,315. Last year, Russell Crane won the event for $276,949 after besting a field of 447 entries.

For more information, please visit the Borgata Spring Poker Open blog.

Pierre Neuville’s Poker Champs

Team PokerStars Pro Pierre Neuville busted from the EPT Berlin Main Event on Day 2. So, why was he roaming the halls with board games on Day 3? PokerNews’ Lynn Gilmartin found out.

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April 15 2012, Chad Holloway

One year ago, on April 15, 2011, the poker world was rocked when federal authorities unsealed an indictment against online poker’s big three: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. The charges were based on the Illegal Gambling Business Act of 1955 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and alleged that the companies used fraudulent methods to circumvent federal law and trick banks into processing payments.

The indictment named 11 defendants: Isai Scheinberg and Paul Tate, who represented PokerStars; FTP’s Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick; Scott Tom and Brent Beckley of Absolute Poker; and Chad Elie, John Campos, Bradley Franzen and Ryan Lang, who ran payment processors. As part of the indictment, restraining orders were issued on 75 bank accounts used by the online poker companies and their payment processors, as well as five Internet domain names.

In a press release regarding the indictment, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As charged, these defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to ensure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits. Moreover, as we allege, in their zeal to circumvent the gambling laws, the defendants also engaged in massive money laundering and bank fraud. Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don’t like simply because they can’t bear to be parted from their profits.”

What happened on that fateful day, which has come to be known as Black Friday, set off a chain of events that continues to impact the industry. The whole debacle was intricate and confusing, leaving many unanswered questions. Over the past year, some of those questions have been answered; others remain unanswered.

A lot has happened in a year. Below is a timeline highlighting the important developments from April 15, 2011, to April 15, 2012.

• 11:00 a.m. PDT: News of the indictment begins to surface.
• 12:26 p.m. PDT: PokerStars blocks all U.S. players from real-money games.
• 1:25 p.m. PDT – 2:00 p.m. PDT: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Alfonse D’Amato of the Poker Players Alliance spoke out in support of online poker. Meanwhile, The Courier-Mail newspaper in Australia reported that Daniel Tzvetkoff was assisting federal lawyers in the Southern District of New York.
• 5:30 p.m. PDT: Fertitta Interactive and the Wynn Resorts pulled out of their planned strategic alliances with FTP and PokerStars respectively.
• 6:52pm PDT: FTP blocks U.S. players and issues the following statement: “Unfortunately, as a result of this action, Full Tilt Poker has decided that it must suspend ‘real money’ play in the United States until this case is resolved. However, Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide peer-to-peer online poker services outside of the United States.” The statement went on to say, “Full Tilt Poker is, and has always been committed to preserving the integrity of the game and abiding by the law.”
• 9:52 p.m. PDT: PokerStars releases first statement via pop-up on its poker client. “As you may have heard, we have had to suspend real money poker services to people based in the US due to legal developments there. The developments are confined to the US and do not have any impact on your ability to continue using our services. Please be assured player balances are safe. There is no cause for concern. For all customers outside the US it is business as usual.”

• 10:40 a.m. PDT: FTP cancels the Onyx Cup.
• 11:10 a.m. PDT: ESPN’s poker page removed all PokerStars advertising.
• 2:02 p.m. PDT: Las Vegas Sun reports that former U.S. attorney Greg Brower called for both state and federal probes of PokerStars’ political activities.

• 10:10 a.m. PDT: Defendant Bradley Franzen surrenders to the FBI and pleads not guilty in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Mass. Franzen was subsequently released on a $200,000 bond.
• 11:00 a.m. PDT: ESPN removes online poker advertising and programming, though planned broadcasts of the World Series of Poker remained unaffected.
• 11:05 a.m. PDT: The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge and PokerStars.net Big Game are both cancelled.

April 20, 2011

On April 20, both FTP and PokerStars reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that allowed them to regain the use of their respective dot-com sites to help facilitate the distribution of players’ funds. The online poker companies subsequently released the following statements regarding the agreement and player paybacks.

From Full Tilt Poker:

“In addition, the agreement represents an important first step towards returning funds to U.S. players because it allows Full Tilt Poker to utilize its domain to facilitate the withdrawal of player funds. But, unfortunately, there remain significant practical and legal impediments to returning funds to players in the immediate future. As a result of the recent enforcement action, there exists no authorized U.S. payment channel through which to make refunds; Full Tilt Poker has no accounting of the millions of dollars of player funds that were seized by the government; and the government has not agreed to permit any of the seized player funds to be returned to the players.”

From PokerStars:

“Returning US players’ funds is a top priority for PokerStars and the company can now start the process of returning money to its former US customers. All PokerStars player deposits are completely safe. The Isle of Man’s strict licensing laws (similar to other jurisdictions where PokerStars holds licenses) require all funds to be held in accounts that are segregated from company assets. PokerStars has always complied with this requirement and continues to do so. This money is readily available to meet withdrawal demands, indeed the company continues to comply with withdrawal requests from players based outside the US as normal. Outside the U.S., PokerStars continues to operate business as usual.”

Meanwhile, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), which licensed FTP, released a statement regarding its licensee.

The Aftermath

• PokerStars begins player reimbursements within a week of Black Friday while continuing to cater to customers outside the United States.
• May 4, 2011: Blanca Gaming of Antigua, the parent company to UB and Absolute Poker, announced it will file for bankruptcy.
• May 9, 2011: Eleven U.S.-based pros are laid off as sponsored pros of UB and Absolute Poker – Joe Sebok, Prahlad Friedman, Eric Baldiwn, Maria Ho, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, Scott Ian, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Bryan Devonshire and Trishelle Cannatella.
• May 10, 2011: Absolute Poker and UB reach an agreement with the DOJ for the return of funds held by third-party processors.
• May 15, 2011: Full Tilt Poker releases a statement through FTPDoug on the TwoPlusTwo forum assuring players progress was being made for the “orderly return of U.S. player funds.” Within the forum post, FTP addresses questions from U.S. players.
• June 29, 2011:

  The AGCC suspends FTP’s license and orders suspension of all operations. Play on FTP comes to a sudden halt worldwide.

• June 30, 2011: Los Angeles Times reports that FTP is set to be purchased by “a group of European investors in a deal that could allow U.S. players to recover as much as $150 million.”
• June 30, 2011: A class action lawsuit is filed in the U.S. District Court South District of New York against FTP demanding the return of players’ funds.
• July 5, 2011: The AGCC issues a statement regarding a possible refinancing of FTP and French gambling authority, ARJEL, has suspended FTP’s French license.
• July 26, 2011: The Alderney Gambling Control Commission’s hearing on Full Tilt Poker is set to take place in London. After a day of private deliberations, the AGCC adjourned the hearing until September 15, much to the dismay of players.
• August 22, 2011: A press release issued exclusively to PokerNews by FTP suggests the company is seeking other possible investors than those previously mentioned.
• August 31, 2011: FTP releases a statement on why it has not paid back its players.
• September 20, 2011:

  U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced that prosecutors were amending their original complaint, claiming FTP was a massive Ponzi scheme and names Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst.

• September 23, 2011: The Department of Justice issues a warrant to seize five bank accounts including those of Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer.
• September 29, 2011: Ten days after the AGCC’s hearing on Full Tilt Poker was held, the AGCC revoked FTP’s gaming license. Also, the U.S. Department of Justice released an update regarding FTP and the issue of player funds.
• September 30, 2011:

  Groupe Bernard Tapie signs agreement to acquire FTP.

• October 20, 2011: The AGCC releases statement correcting the amount of funds seized from Full Tilt Poker by the DOJ.
• November 15, 2011: Chris Ferguson responds to FTP complaint.
• November 17, 2011: Groupe Bernard Tapie signs deal with DOJ to acquire FTP for $80 million and would assume the responsibility of repaying players worldwide while DOJ would be responsible for those in the U.S.
• December 7, 2011: AGCC launches independent review of actions taken against FTP.
• December 20, 2011: Absolute Poker co-founder Brent Beckley pleads guilty to criminal charges.
• January 31, 2012: FTP and the U.S. Department of Justice agree on forfeiture agreement.
• February 2, 2012: Groupe Bernard Tapie attorney Behnam Dayanim says poker pros like Phil Ivey, David Benyamine and Erick Lindgren still owe millions of dollars to FTP.
• February 6, 2012: Laurent Tapie confirms 19 players owe a total of $16.5 million to FTP.
• March 6, 2012: Ray Bitar apologizes. In an interview with PokerStrategy, Bitar says, “I would like to offer my sincere apology to all who have been affected by these events and to clarify that my silence was not an attempt to ‘hide,’ or ‘ignore,’ the situation . . . I hope that before long I can provide some good news for all of the players involved.”
• March 27, 2012: AGCC published external review of actions taken against FTP.
• March 27, 2012: John Campos pleads guilty to a single misdemeanor charge while Chad Elie pleads guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud and operating an illegal gambling business.
• April 3, 2012:

  Reports surface that Pocket Kings Ltd is hiring. Full Tilt Poker’s technology and marketing arm, posted several job listings on an Irish employment website.

• April 13, 2012: Four players file a class-action lawsuit against FTP executives Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson, alleging that the two men ”exercised unlawful dominion and control” over players’ funds in Full Tilt Poker accounts before and after Black Friday.

As the one-year anniversary of Black Friday arrives, the world awaits news regarding the potential deal between FTP and Groupe Bernard Tapie. As for the online poker sites and defendants, after numerous extensions, they have until May 14, 2012, to respond to the amended civil complaint.

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