October 17 2012, Brett Collson

How long will Nevada have to wait for its first online poker site? We’ll cover that story, plus a sponsorship deal for a member of the October Nine, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Has poker lost the luster it had a few short years ago? Donnie Peters discusses his thoughts on the current state of the game.

With the World Series of Poker Main Event final table on the horizon, members of the October Nine are entering the spotlight. Rob Salaburu joined this PokerNews Podcast this week to discuss the break, his thoughts on the ESPN coverage, and the upcoming final table.

Did you miss ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker on Tuesday night? Get caught up in our weekly recap.

South Point Launch Delayed

South Point Poker’s plans to launch the first real-money intrastate online poker site in Nevada could be in jeopardy due to technology testing delays and ongoing negotiations with gaming regulators.

South Point, which received interactive gaming licenses from the Nevada Gaming Commission in August, intended to have the online poker room up and running by October – months ahead of any other competitors in the new market. However, according to a report by VegasInc on Monday, the launch could be delayed until December or early 2013.

“We feel we could launch today,” South Point Poker CEO Lawrence Vaughan told VegasInc. “But you’ve got to go through the independent testing labs, you have to satisfy the State Gaming Control Board and because we are the first, we’re going to be under the microscope. They’re going to prod us every which way, and that’s good. We don’t want to come out and fall flat on our face and be an embarrassment for Nevada.”

South Point had an edge on competitors because it acquired its own interactive gaming system rather than relying on a service provider, allowing it to receive licenses both as an operator and a service provider of interactive gaming systems in Nevada. Companies like Bally Technologies and IGT, which were the first to receive licenses in the state, can only serve as business-to-business providers.

Boyd Gaming, Fertitta Interactive and the Golden Nugget are scheduled to meet with the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday to receive licenses. We’ll be providing a full report from the hearing, so stay tuned to PokerNews.com.

For more on South Point Poker’s delay in Nevada, check out VegasInc.com.

Ausmus Inks Sponsorship Deal

When the World Series of Poker presented the November Nine concept in 2008, it gave final table members the opportunity cash in on sponsorship deals leading up to their appearance on ESPN’s popular WSOP programming.

Obviously, most of those sponsors were online poker rooms that were forced to exit the U.S. on April 15, 2011. But the post-Black Friday players are still finding ways to make a little extra money.

On Wednesday, social media company TTAGIT Social Networks Inc. announced that it has sponsored Jeremy Ausmus for the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Ausmus, who enters the final table last in chips, will compete for the $8.5 million top prize from Oct. 29 through 30 in Las Vegas.

“TTAGIT.com, a revolutionary leading-edge social media company, is ready to win the world over just like me in the world series of poker,” Ausmus said in a press release.

In addition to Ausmus, October Niner Steve Gee was able to ink a deal with PokerAce.com in August, and Jesse Sylvia and Russell Thomas have been donning 888poker gear in recent tournaments overseas. We’ll keep an eye on any new sponsorship as the Main Event final table approaches.

For more on Ausmus, read the press release at Yahoo.com.

Global Poker Index Player of the Year

The Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings were released on Wednesday with Dan Smith occupying the top spot for the eighth consecutive week.

There were no changes in the top five of the standings as Smith maintained a sizable lead over Kyle Julius, Marvin Rettenmaier, Phil Hellmuth and Andrew Lichtenberger, respectively. Justin Bonomo climbed back into the top 10, jumping five spots to No. 6 thanks to a deep run in the European Poker Tour Sanremo Main Event. Bonomo’s biggest result in 2012 also came on the EPT; he won the Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final “100,000 buy-in Super High Roller in April for “1,640,000.

Appearing in the top 10 for the first time this week was Joseph Cheong, who recently finished fourth in the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event for “292,320. He also took fourth in a “10,000 buy-in side event at EPT Sanremo for “74,100. Cheong bumped Daniel Negreanu out of the top 10, leading “Kid Poker” by less than one point.

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

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 GlobalPokerIndex.com.

Champ Crowned at HPT Daytona Beach

Andrew Denick won the $1,650 buy-in Heartland Poker Tour Daytona Beach Main Event on Tuesday, outlasting a field of 374 players to earn a payday of $138,187.

Dennick, a salesman from Rockledge, Florida, defeated local poker pro Jeremy Joseph heads-up for the title to collect the biggest payday of his career. On the final hand of the tournament, Joseph moved all in with on a flop of and Dennick snap-called with a set of sevens. Joseph missed his double-gutter straight draw on the turn and river, securing the title for Dennick.

Several notables made the money in the event, including October Niner Rob Salaburu, Darvin Moon, Harrison Gimbel, and Chad Batista. Salaburu, who will compete for the title of World Champ at the WSOP Main Event final table this month, barely missed out on a chance to get some final table prep as he finished in eighth place for $14,796.

Here’s a look at the final table results from the Heartland Poker Tour Daytona Beach Main Event:

Read the full event recap at HPTPoker.com.

Negreanu Has a Clue

On Tuesday, PokerStars announced that it will be adding a new pro to its Team online roster. Yesterday, Team Online member Randy “nanonoko” Lew offered a clue for the Guess the Next Member of Team PokerStars Online promotion. If that didn’t help, today’s clue comes from Team PokerStars’ Daniel Negreanu. Although, you may want to to grab some earmuffs.

Find out more about the next Team Online pro at the PokerStars Blog.

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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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