August 03 2012, Brett Collson

Before you kick off your weekend, we’re here to bring you Friday’s biggest stories around the poker world. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we’re covering the latest on Barry Greenstein’s Full Tilt Poker loan, the schedule for the Prague Poker Festival, and more.

In Case You Missed It

How was the high-stakes action at the PokerStars tables this week? Read the Online Railbird Report to find out the week’s biggest winners and losers.

Jason Mercier sat atop the Global Poker Index again this week. Which pros are eyeing a spot in the top 10? Mickey Doft breaks down the biggest movers and shakers of the GPI.

Paying Off Debts

Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein says he intends to repay the $400,000 he borrowed from Full Tilt Poker a few years ago.

Greenstein’s debt to Full Tilt Poker was made public by Groupe Bernard Tapie in February. According to GBT attorney Behnam Dayanim, Greenstein and several other high-profile pros borrowed a combined $18 million from the embattled poker room before it was shut down on Black Friday. The debts were discovered while GBT was investigating Full Tilt’s financial situation before purchasing the company.

Now that PokerStars has acquired the assets of its former rival, the community is asking questions about the debts of the high-stakes players.

“I was always going to have to pay whoever owned Full Tilt,” Greenstein said in a thread at TwoPlusTwo.com this week. “Clearly, PokerStars will own Full Tilt in a few days or a little longer, and finally I will know who to pay. I’m curious if they will try to collect from anyone else.”

Others involved in the alleged FTP loans include Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Erick Lindgren and David Benyamine. While the exact debts of each player haven’t been made public, an Excel spreadsheet created by Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar has been given to PokerStars. The spreadsheet breaks down the amounts owed by each player, according to sources who have seen the document.

Read more on Greenstein at TwoPlusTwo.com.

Prague Poker Festival

The schedule for the 2012 Prague Poker Festival has been released. The festival kicks off on Nov. 27 with the World Sit ‘N’ Go Masters and will be followed by events from the World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, and Grand Series of Poker (GSOP), all of which will be played at Corinthia Hotel and Casino in Prague.

In addition to the poker tournaments, event organizers Living it Loving it and Mind Sports (International) Ltd. will launch the inaugural Prague Mind Sports Festival from Dec. 1 through 4. Poker players will have the opportunity to compete in games such as Backgammon, Scrabble, Risk and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in an exciting tournament format.

Here’s a look at the preliminary schedule for the Prague Poker Festival:

The PokerStars Italian Poker Tour San Remo Main Event came to a close this week. The “2,200 buy-in event was won by Italian Alessandro Meoni, who bested fellow PokerStars SuperNova VIP Raffaele Bertolucci for the title and the “166,000 top prize.

Meoni, who plays professionally as “Cippino1” on PokerStars, defeated 375 players over five days en route to his biggest career victory on the live circuit. In his previous trip to the IPT San Remo last October, Meoni took ninth place for “10,280.

On the final hand of this year’s tournament, Bertolucci moved his short stack all in preflop with and Meoni called with . The board provided no help for Bertolucci, who exited in second place with “129,000.

Here’s a look at the final table results from IPT San Remo:

The Italian Poker Tour’s next stop will be in Campion from Aug. 30 through Sept. 3. Visit the PokerStars Blog for more info.

Golden Nugget Eyes Real-Money Online Poker

Online poker players in Nevada are gearing up for legalized real-money games.

A recent survey conducted by GoldenNuggetPoker.com revealed that 86 percent of the site’s free-play customers would convert to real-money play once Internet poker is available in the U.S. The Golden Nugget submitted an online gaming application in Nevada in February and believes it will be one of the first interactive gaming operators in the state.

In February, the Golden Nugget teamed up with ChiliGaming in a deal that would see ChiliGaming launch a free-to-play online poker site. However, Chiligaming sold its business-to-business gaming platform to Bally Technologies later that month. GoldenNuggetPoker.com now uses Bally’s online gaming platform.

Bally recently received the first online gaming license in Nevada as service provider for Internet poker operators. The company is having its technology tested by the state before it is given authorization to provide real-money games.

Read more at the Golden Nugget Poker Blog.

Follow Brett Collson on

No comments yet. Be the first to post one!

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.

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

Follow Brett Collson on

No comments yet. Be the first to post one!