August 23 2012, Brett Collson

Legal, real-money online poker is quickly nearing reality in the U.S. How soon will we see the first site launched? We’ll cover that story and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Only 24 players survived Day 4 of the 2012 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event. Samuel Rodriguez led the way, but several notables were still in contention.

Was Dan Smith’s fifth win of 2012 enough to take over the lead in the Global Poker Index? Find out in this week’s GPI rankings.

The Main Event and High Rollers aren’t the only tournaments going on in Barcelona. Chad Holloway takes a look at the side events held by the Estrellas Poker Tour and European Poker Tour.

October Niner Gets a Deal

2012 World Series of Poker Main Event finalist Steven Gee has has been signed by PokerAce.com, joining the likes of Joe Hachem, JC Tran and Nam Le on the online poker room’s pro team.

When the Main Event final table resumes in October, Gee will begin play fifth in chips with 16,860,000. The 56-year old will be looking to claim his second WSOP bracelet; in 2010, he won a $1,000 no-limit hold’em event for $472,479.

“I am super excited to join Joe Hachem, JC Tran and Nam Le representing PokerAce and am looking forward to playing more tournaments in Asia over the coming year,” Gee said about his new sponsorship.

Added Hachem, “We would like to welcome Steve to PokerAce and we feel he will fit the team exceptionally well. We also wish him the best of luck in October at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table.”

More on Gee can be found at PokerAce.com.

South Point Eyes Real-Money Poker

South Point Casino is poised to open the first legal real-money poker site in Nevada.

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission granted the South Point licensure as an operator, manufacturer and service provider of interactive gaming systems in Nevada. South Point says it plans launch the first real-money poker room in Nevada by October after the site’s technology is approved by an independent testing lab and gaming regulators.

While the online gambling license isn’t the first in Nevada, it does give South Point a head start over companies looking to compete in the market. South Point’s poker operation will be run in-house, meaning it won’t have to partner with a third-party operator to provide real-money games. South Point has been running a play money poker site at SouthPointPoker.com since last year, but the real-money site will have new software.

We have more on this huge story at PokerNews.com.

ANZPT Season 5

Season 4 of the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) is still going strong, but the tour has already announced the first two events for the Season 5 schedule.

Shortly after the Season 4 ANZPT Melbourne Grand Final concludes on Sept. 3, Season 5 will kick off in October at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. The stop will be highlighted by a AUD$2,200 Main Event from Oct. 26 through Oct. 29. There will also be plenty of side events for players to enter.

After the Melbourne series wraps up, the tour will travel to New Zealand’s SKYCITY Auckland Casino for the ANZPT Auckland Main Event. The NZ$2,200 buy-in event will run from Nov. 21 through 25.

We expect more events to be added to the schedule in the near future, so check back in to PokerNews.com for the latest updates. For a full look at the Season 4 and Season 5 schedule and results, visit ANZPT.com.

Sexton on Poker’s “Skill” Ruling

On Tuesday, a federal judge in New York ruled that poker did not fall under the Illegal Gambling Business Act because it is a game of skill, not chance. The ruling dismissed a federal case involving a Staten Island man charged with operating an underground poker club.

The ruling was obviously a big win for the poker community, but it has sparked debate about how it will affect the game in the U.S. Will it clear the way for federal online poker in the near future? Or will poker still be regarded as “gambling” in the eyes of Congress?

Poker pro Mike Sexton offered his take on the ruling in his blog on Thursday. Sexton, a poker Hall of Famer and one of the game’s most active ambassadors, believes it will cause a seismic shift in the way poker is viewed across the country:

This ruling is hugely significant in the lives of poker players in the U.S. because most states have similar archaic laws on the books that essentially say it’s illegal to play any games for money with “cards or dice” because they’re games of chance. Poker has now been blessed by a Federal judge and I’m expecting many states to change their archaic laws and agree with Judge Weinstein’s 120 page opinion that poker is a game of skill and not a game of chance.

Sexton’s full blog can be found at PartyPoker.com.

Ziigmund is an OG

Not surprisingly, Illari “Ziigmund” Sahamies is thriving at the European Poker Tour stop in Barcelona. But Kristy Arnett found out that Sahamies has plans to pursue another career.

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July 26 2012, Brett Collson

It was a busy day in the world of poker. A Black Friday defendant received a prison sentence, and Nevada issued another online gaming license ahead of legalized online poker in the state. We’ll cover those stories and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Day 1c of the 2012 PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown Snowfest Main Event played out on Thursday. Get all the details in our daily ANZPT recap.

Black Friday payment processor Ira Rubin has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to forfeit $5 million. Read the latest on the story here at PokerNews.com.

Once again, Jason Mercier occupied the top spot in the Global Poker Index. But is his lead safe for one more week? Mickey Doft breaks down the biggest movers and shakers of the GPI.

Are you planning a trip to Merit Crystal Cove for the upcoming World Poker Tour Cyprus Main Event? Lynn Gilmartin tells you everything you need to know about the all-inclusive resort in the latest PokerNews Jet Set.

Marcel Luske has joined forces with Pierre Neuville to launch a new board game for poker players. Chad Holloway caught up with Luske to find out about the game called PokerChamp.

Shuffle Master Receives Online Gaming License in Nevada

On Thursday, gaming supplier Shuffle Master received a license from the Nevada Gaming Commission to be a manufacturer and provider of interactive gaming systems in Nevada.

Shuffle Master becomes the third company to receive an interactive gaming license in the state. Slot machine suppliers IGT and Bally Technologies were granted licenses last month. More than 30 other companies, including casino giants Caesars and MGM, have submitted similar applications with the state Control Board.

As a business-to-business provider, Shuffle Master will offer online poker and other interactive games to Nevada casinos looking to compete in the market. The next step for the company is to have its technology tested by the board and the state before it is given authorization to provide real-money games.

Irish online bookmaker Paddy Power also met with the state Gaming Commission on Thursday and received a “preliminary finding of suitability.” Paddy Power doesn’t have any current gaming interests in Nevada, but the company has two years to explore opportunities in the state.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more.

Lessons From a Poker Brat

Now that he’s earned his record-setting 12th World Series of Poker bracelet, Phil Hellmuth is focusing his efforts on charity work. (Well, and the London Olympics).

Through Charitybuzz.com, Hellmuth is auctioning off a two-hour poker lesson and dinner with him in Las Vegas, plus a two-night stay at the brand new Aria Sky Suites. All proceeds will benefit Peace Through Sports, an organization that brings children of different nationalities and races together while they play side-by-side in sports.

The highest bid for the package as of Thursday was $16,000. The auction ends Tuesday, July 31 at 15:00 ET.

Hellmuth is also gearing up for his annual Hellmuth’s Hold’em with Agrace HospiceCare, a charity tournament held in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Last year’s event raised $110,000 and attracted poker pros Annette Obrestad, Anthony “D1rtyR1v3r” Nardi and Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon. Gavin Smith, Jerry Yang, and many others are confirmed for this year’s event on Aug. 18 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

For more on Hellmuth’s auction, visit Charitybuzz.com. Information about Hellmuth’s Hold’em with Agrace HospiceCare tournament can be found at agracehospicecare.org.

Zynga Confirms Real-Money Ambitions

Social gaming behemoth Zynga is planning to launch real-money gaming in the first half of 2013, CEO Mark Pincus said during the company’s quarterly earnings conference call on Tuesday.

Pincus has said publicly for months that real-money gaming would be a “natural fit” for Zynga but it wasn’t until this week that he announced a prospective launch date. Zynga’s revenue plummeted in the second quarter of 2012, mostly due to a significant drop in customer purchases, and online gambling – including poker – could give a boost to the company’s earnings.

“What we’ve said, and what we have to announce today, is that we have our first products in development and that we intend to release them in markets that are regulated and open, subject to our getting licensing,” Pincus said on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, eGaming Review reported that a number have companies have shown interest in working with Zynga to provide real-money gambling. Zynga is also reportedly the frontrunner to acquire the Ongame Network from bwin.party, a move that would bolster Zynga’s real-money poker platform.

Pincus said that the real-money gaming launch would initially occur outside of the U.S. where laws permit gambling on the internet.

Venture Beat has more.

Changes at the AGCC

In the wake of the debacle at Full Tilt Poker, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has announced a number of amendments to its Alderney eGambling Regulations of 2009.

The most notable change made by the regulatory body involved the segregation of player funds. Beginning next year, all operators licensed by the AGCC will be forced to hold all customer deposits in a segregated account that is separate from the business’ operating or current account. Licensees will also be required to submit monthly reports to the AGCC detailing the total amount of funds held on behalf of customers and the balance of all bank accounts where the funds are being held.

While licensed with the AGCC, Full Tilt Poker continuously reported funds that were not available because of several problems with payment processors. Full Tilt was fusing player deposits with its marketing and operating funds, all while lining the pockets of board members Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Ray Bitar. Full Tilt Poker still owes customers an estimated $330 million.

Read the full AGCC amendment document at gamblingcontrol.org.

Party In Queenstown Video

Poker is serious business on the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour. That is, until the PokerStars player party kicks off. Nicki Pickering hit the bar to scope out the scene.

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