December 15 2011, Brett Collson

It’s been more than a month since we last heard from Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie. However, it appears the two sides are inching closer to a deal that could allow for the repayment of players across the world. We’ll cover that story, as well as the latest from Bodog and Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Phil Hellmuth has been in the news more than usual lately. Hellmuth recently sat down with Chad Holloway to discuss several topics, including his upcoming charity event in Wisconsin.

Erik Seidel (who else?) led the field after Day 1 of the Epic Poker League Main Event. Get all the details from the Palms in our Day 1 recap.

Raffaele Bertolucci bagged the most chips after Day 1b of the World Poker Tour Venice Main Event. However, Day 1a leader Andrea Dato was still on top heading into Day 2.

Jared Tendler is the author of The Mental Game of Poker and coaches many of the game’s top pros. Tendler joined the Strategy with Kristy podcast this week to talk about mental preparation, tilt control, and more.

The Global Poker Index released its rankings as of Dec. 12. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier is still No. 1, and a new face has entered the top 10.

Full Tilt Poker, Groupe Bernard Tapie Back in the News

Subject:Poker reported Thursday that a deal has been reached to allow for the transfer of assets Full Tilt Poker (FTP) and French investment firm Groupe Bernard Tapie (GBT).

Sources told Subject:Poker that Full Tilt Poker shareholders ratified an agreement that would allow Groupe Bernard Tapie to purchase the forfeited FTP assets from the DOJ for $80 million. GBT would then be responsible for the repayment of non-U.S. players, and the Department of Justice would repay U.S. players.

Attorneys for Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie declined comment to PokerNews on Thursday.

Additionally, Spanish News site Poker-Red reported Thursday that Groupe Bernard Tapie was among 61 companies to apply for a Spanish online gaming license before the new regulated market opens in early 2012. PokerStars, bwin.party and 888 were among the other operators to submit applications, but Poker-Red reports that GBT would be forced to replay all Spanish customers at Full Tilt Poker before it could reopen for business.

More on both stories can be found at PokerNews.com.

Adelson Has Many Concerns Regarding Online Poker

Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson became poker’s latest villain after saying he is “morally opposed” to the legalization of online poker in the United States. An excerpt from Adelson’s interview for the January issue of Global Gaming Business (GGB) leaked to Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston, who blogged about Adelson’s stance last week.

Adelson told GGB that his chief concern is that it will be too easy for underage children to gamble for real money on an Internet poker site. However, he’s also confused by the urge of many casino execs to grab a share in the space.

“PokerStars is the biggest and most successful online gaming entity in the world and the most they made in a year was $440 million,” Adelson said. “Now, how is $440 million divided up amongst several other players going to make a difference? It ain’t going far.”

Adelson says he’s also concerned that online poker could lead to gambling problems for young adults, especially if the operators expand to other gambling avenues. “Poker will absolutely lead to full casinos,” Adelson told GGB.

Read more about Adelson’s opposition to online poker at the Global Gaming Business website.

Operators Granted Online Gambling Licenses in Denmark

On Thursday, PokerStars, 888, bwin.party, PKR and Unibet were among 38 operators to be granted licensed by the Danish Gambling Authority. Each gambling company will be permitted to offer online gambling services to residents of Denmark when the new regulatory framework goes into effect on January 1, 2012.

“From January the gambling market will be orderly and we will ensure that holders of a betting and online casino license to operate on the Danish market also contribute to the society,” said Thor Möger Pedersen, Denmark’s Minister of Taxation. “Danes as well as the many associations supported by the gambling market can be joyful.”

Read more about Denmark’s online gambling licenses at PokerNews.com.

Bodog to Release Software Update With Hand Histories

Bodog has taken heat from players since its online poker room introduced all-anonymous poker tables as part of its new Recreational Poker Model. Among the many concerns raised in the past couple weeks is the potential for opponents to collude due to the inability of players to identify who they’re playing against.

In response, Bodog will be releasing a software update that will allow players to request hand histories if they suspect collusion between opponents. In an interview with CalvinAyre.com, Bodog U.K. CEO Patrik Selin said that the solution is “relatively simple” and will be introduced sometime in the first quarter of 2012.

“When you strip back all of the emotional comments from people with vested interests, whether they be players that use HUDs or are data-mining companies, there is only really one criticism that stands up to scrutiny and that is whether the lack of usernames can increase the opportunity for collusion,” Selin said.

According to Selin, players will be able to request hand histories for any game in which they suspect any wrongdoing. The hand histories will provide the hole cards for each player at the table, and players can then look through the hands and highlight any potential offense to the Bodog security team.

Seems like a lot of complicated busy work for a “recreational” player to take on.

Photo by Michael Polizzi

Check out the full interview at CalvinAyre.com.

Marianela Pereyra joins the World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour announced Thursday that anchor Kimberly Lansing is headed for maternity leave, which means former Poker After Dark hostess Marianela Pereyra will take over Lansing’s duties beginning with the WPT Venice event in February 2012.

In addition to her hosting role for the now-defunct Poker After Dark, Pereyra has also covered events for ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. She also served as a sideline reporter for the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event final table.

“I’m thrilled to be given such an incredible opportunity,” Pereyra said of joining the WPT. “It’s an honor to be filling in for Kimberly Lansing and I’m really looking forward to being part of the World Poker Tour.”

Read more at PokerNews.com.

Bravo!

If you’re in Las Vegas and looking for the juiciest cash games in town, the arrival of a new poker app could help point you in the most profitable direction. VegasChatter.com recently reviewed BravoPokerLive, a GPS-enabled app that provides information for all of the most popular poker rooms in Sin City and around the U.S.

BravoPokerLive is a go-to source for live cash-game players. The app, which is available for both iPhone and Android users, provides real-time information for poker rooms that use the Bravo room management system, such as how many tables are running and the limits at each table. If you’re strolling along the Vegas strip and getting the itch to play some cards, BravoPokerLive lets you check in on the current action in the nearby poker rooms. It’ll even tell you how to get to the nearest room using the app’s GPS features.

The app also provides live info for poker rooms in Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Tunica, and several other casinos across the country.

VegasChatter also reviewed the AllVegasPoker app, which provides schedules for all of the daily tournaments in Vegas along with cash game information similar to BravoPokerLive.

Check out the full reviews at VegasChatter.com.

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Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson

November 01 2011, Brett Collson

Poker players received some positive news Tuesday as Groupe Bernard Tapie and the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly came to an agreement that could allow for the repayment of all Full Tilt Poker customers. Also in this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we bring you ESPN’s latest edition of The Nuts, Joe Rogan’s comments about poker players, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The days until the 2011 World Series of Poker November Nine are dwindling and we’re always curious to find out how the members of the prestigious Final Table are spending their time. We recently talked to Matt Giannetti to find out how he’s preparing for poker’s biggest stage.

The World Poker Tour World Poker Finals at Foxwoods reached a final table on Monday. Find out which six players made the televised table in our daily recap.

We all know what poker players do on the felt, but what about “normal” life? In the latest from the Off the Felt series, we talk to Lauren Kling about Halloween, her hobbies away from the table, and more.

The 2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table resumes Sunday. In our latest Five Thoughts piece, we have a few suggestions to improve the November Nine.

*Photo courtesy of ScreenRant.com

ESPN’s The Nuts

The latest edition of ESPN’s The Nuts was released Monday. The monthly blog post ranks the best poker players in the world at the moment. The 10-person panel includes PokerNews’ Editor-in-Chief Elaine Chaivarlis, PokerNews’ Tournament Reporting Manager Don Peters, ESPN’s Andrew Feldman, Gary Wise, and Bernard Lee, among others.

Jason Mercier retained the top spot this month by collecting six of the ten first-place votes. He was followed by Erik Seidel (two first place votes), Eugene Katchalov, and Ben Lamb, who could make up some room on the top three with a victory in the 2011 WSOP Main Event this month.

The other first-place vote went to the U.K.’s Chris Moorman, who made his debut on the list this month after a second-place finish at the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. Moorman has the most online tournament winnings ever with more than $7 million in earnings, but the talented Brit has been making noise on the live tournament scene of late. He would have surpassed Lamb on the 2011 WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard had he won the Main Event in Cannes.

Shawn Buchanan also made his debut on the list, coming in at No. 5. PokerNews’ Don Peters said it was about time Buchanan got the recognition he deserved: “Seriously, if Buchanan doesn’t start getting the love and respect he deserves in poker, then I honestly will lose my mind. The kid has been crushing tournaments for years and 2011 is much of the same.”

If you want to find out what the rest of the list looks, take a look at ESPN.com.

Joe Rogan Tackles Poker

Comedian Joe Rogan has never been one to hold back his opinions on any subject. Last week, Rogan shared his views on poker during a podcast for his personal website. Rogan touched on Full Tilt Poker, online poker bots, and degeneracy among poker players, among other topics.

“The world of the poker player to the core is [filled with] seedy people,” Rogan said. “What they’re trying to do now with professional poker is cleaning up degenerates and presenting them to the public. But these are degenerates. Even if they’re really rich and successful and good at it, at their core, most of them are degenerate gamblers. And those people are crazy.”

Rogan also says that Full Tilt Poker owes money to Bruce Buffer. Buffer, a renowned UFC announcer who was a Friend of Full Tilt Poker, apparently has made it known that he is still owed money by the embattled company after it was shut down this year.

You can listen to the full podcast at JoeRogan.net.

Groupe Bernard Tapie Strikes Deal with DOJ

According to a report Tuesday by Subject:Poker, Groupe Bernard Tapie and the U.S. Department of Justice have come to an agreement that could allow for repayment of players at Full Tilt Poker.

The deal, which would allow GBT to continue its acquisition of Full Tilt Poker, is subject to approval by the shareholders of FTP. If the shareholders agree to the sale of the company, the deal with the DOJ will provide for payment of all players worldwide.

According to sources, Tiltware CEO Ray Bitar sent an email to shareholders breaking down the agreement and the next steps needed to complete the acquisition with Groupe Bernard Tapie.

To read the full e-mail from Bitar, check out the story posted today at PokerNews.com.

PokerStars 10th Anniversary

PokerStars, which will celebrate its 10th Anniversary next month, will mark the milestone by hosting the biggest Sunday Million ever. On Dec. 18, 2011, the site’s weekly flagship event will offer a guaranteed prize pool of $10 million – the largest ever for a Sunday Million – and still with a buy-in of just $215. The winner will collect a colossal top prize of at least $2 million.

PokerStars will also be giving away 100 packages to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which takes place from Jan. 5 through Jan. 14, 2012, in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

“Amazing that it’s been 10 years! I’m very proud of my association with PokerStars, and this December’s 10th Anniversary Celebration is going to be a doozy!” said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. “There will be tons of cash prizes for bankrolls of all sizes, plus giveaways and a $10 million Sunday Million event.”

Read the story at PokerNews for more info.

Billionaires Eye Online Poker Ventures

Money talks in the United States, so it could be a good sign that several billionaires have expressed their intent to invest in an Internet gambling business. The ventures, of course, would only be realized if legislation passed in the U.S., but some of the richest people in America seem to think that day is on the way.

According to an article on Forbes.com, former Mirage Resorts executive Richard Bronson is another in a line of U.S. billionaires in the race for an Internet gambling company if the controversial industry becomes regulated. Bronson has reportedly teamed up with fellow billionaires Steven Roth, Herbert Simon and Robert and William Taubman to secure investments for a potential project.

“They are all in it for the long haul,” Bronson said. “Not one of them thinks this will be a sprint, they think it will be a marathon.”

Earlier this month, Donald Trump announced his plans to launch a Trump-branded gambling website once Congress legalizes and regulates online gambling. Trump, who owns and operates two casinos in Atlantic City, has been a public supporter of online gambling and seems to think his brand would rise above the competition. “We think we have the hottest brand there is, the Trump brand, my personal brand,” Trump told the Associated Press last week. “We think it’s going to do phenomenally well.”

Get more on the story at Forbes.com.

Watch the WSOP on ESPN

The World Series of Poker Final Table kicks off in Vegas this week, so that must mean tonight’s coverage on ESPN reveals the November Nine! Last week’s broadcast ended with 14 players still in contention for the year’s biggest final table, and only nine will survive through tonight.

Here’s a look at a teaser of tonight’s coverage:

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Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson