July 26 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

Football is back. The NBA? Not so much. Online poker? Nah, not that either – well for quite a few of you anyway. While there’s plenty of bad news out there, this is not the place for it. Keep reading to check out the 2011 PokerStars WCOOP schedule, the ratings for ESPN’s WSOP live coverage, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission held a hearing Tuesday regarding the future of Full Tilt Poker and its license. PokerNews’ Barry Carter attended the hearing that was adjourned to a later date.

Before the 2011 World Series of Poker kicked off, the PokerNews team chose a few WSOP rookies they thought would make big splashes this summer. No bracelets were won by the rookies this year, but we’ve complied a list of their accomplishments to recap our picks.

Bodog’s license with Morris Mohawk Gaming is set to expire at the end of the year, but the online gaming site opted not to renew its license. At the end of the year, Bodog is set to leave the U.S. market.

Kristy Arnett, Matthew Parvis, and Donnie Peters got together for the latest PokerNews Podcast. They discussed Full Tilt Poker, the November Nine, and spoke with November Niner Phil Collins.

$30 Million Guaranteed in 2011 WCOOP

The finalized schedule for the 2011 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker was released Tuesday morning. The WCOOP will run from September 4 through 25 and will feature 62 events. If the number of events doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe the guarantee of $30 million will. The 2011 WCOOP Main Event features a $5 million guarantee and the winner will pocket at least $1 million.

Buy-ins for the events range from $109 all the way up to $10,300 for the High Roller events, of which there are three.

“I can’t wait to start playing WCOOP. It’s the only online tournament series in the world that gives such amazing structures and prize pools! It’s time to take a shot at my third WCOOP bracelet,” said Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier in the press release.

To kick things off on Sept. 4, three events will begin: a $215 no-limit hold’em six-max event, $10,300 no-limit hold’em high roller, and $215 no-limit hold’em event.

PokerStars has also taken into account the growth of poker around the world, and the 2011 WCOOP events will take place at six different start times.

Shootouts and knockouts, and Turbos! Oh my! There are a variety of different events to pacify your poker wants on the 2011 WCOOP schedule and you can check them all out at PokerStarsBlog.com.

How Many of You Watched?

Thanks to James Guill, who forwarded us a press release from ESPN, we can tell you how the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event live coverage ratings look.

According to Nielsen, the daily live coverage of the 2011 WSOP Main Event “was up double digits over every daypart on ESPN2 compared to July 2010.” The 10 episodes on ESPN averaged 351,000 households, which translates to 415,000 viewers.

The press release notes that in prime time, the ESPN2 showings averaged a 0.4 rating, while the one prime time ESPN telecast yielded a 0.5 rating.

If you want to check out more of the numbers, read the press release on ESPN.com.

FairPlayUSA Launches

FairPlayUSA is a new coalition that was formed to “educate policymakers and the public on the broad public policy interests raised by the current ambiguous laws in the U.S. that have led to millions of Americans gambling on the Internet.”

The organization, based in Washington, D.C., has three advisors on its board: Internet safety expert Parry Aftab, former governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, and professional poker player Greg Raymer.

“The website and online petition will be the focal point for recruiting and organizing supporters who will actively engage and make their voices heard by members of Congress. Outreach will be directed toward law enforcement officials, those who support Internet consumer safety, and online poker’s strongest asset – the millions of Americans who enjoy online poker,” said FairPlayUSA Executive Director Marisa McNee.

FairPlayUSA is also petitioning Congress to address the Internet gambling issue and pass federal legislation allowing Americans to play online.

If you want to find out more about FairPlayUSA and sign the petition, head on over to FairPlayUSA.com.

Learn from the Pros – Live

Have you recently found yourself playing more live poker than you did in the past? Yes, we’ve been doing the same thing, only we’re not getting any better at the game. If you’re running into the same situation, then you might want to check out the next DeepStacks Live event at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

For one day only, on August 19, DeepStacks Live will host a “specially-tailored Philadelphia Power Poker Course.” Instructors for the five-hour course include Michael and Robert Mizrachi, Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade, and Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh.

Students will learn everything from advanced tournament strategies to hand ranging to picking off bluffs.

“This is simply a match made in heaven. Parx Casino is far and away the best casino in the Philadelphia area. There isn’t even a competitor for that title. And DeepStacks Live has proven time and time again that we’re the best training company in poker, teaching unique strategies that deliver amazing results for our students,” said DeepStacks Live CEO Chris Torina in the press release. “Take this course and I promise you’ll see immediate, substantial improvement in your poker game.”

Want to sign up? Head on over to DeepStacks.com.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

Fri, 04/22/2011 – 14:31 – PokerPages Staff

PokerStars.tv is an online service that provides live coverage and video blogs from the biggest tournaments in the world.  Viewers can check out on the latest videos on the PokerStars.tv homepage.  There is also a wide range of channels covering all facets of poker, as well as a regular weekly schedule.

The week’s PokerStars.tv scheduled programming includes Monday’s Online Poker Show, which is aired on the Online Action channel at 18:00 ET.  It is a weekly cards-up show from the Sunday Million tournament with commentary by Nick Wealthall, James Hartigan and David Tuckman.  

LAPT action hits the schedule on Tuesdays at 05:30 ET.  LAPT Season 3, shown on the LAPT channel features highlights from the series, with David Tuckman leading the commentary.

There is more cards-up action on Thursdays at 05:30 ET with EPT 7 Barcelona.  Shown on the EPT channel EPT 7 Barcelona airs the latest action from the Casino Barcelona.

And on Friday at 05:30 at UKIPT Season 3 hits the screens.  Aired on the PokerStars.tv UKIPT channel, the show features brand new highlights, starting with the Champion of Champions.  

PokerStars.tv also features online channels covering all aspects of poker.  They include The Poker Star channel where Australian hopefuls, hoping to be the next big name in poker, compete against each other to achieve their dream. 

The Big Game channel shows daily action from The Big Game, hailed as the next generation of high stakes cash poker.

Meanwhile, it is not all deadly serious on PokerStars.tv.  The Fun Stuff channel shows the top poker players away from the tables in their more lighthearted and crazier moments.