September 13 2012, Brett Collson

Why is Full Tilt Poker emailing customers ahead of its upcoming relaunch? We tackle that story and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The PokerNews Podcast crew is in Paris for the World Poker Tour Grand de Paris. This week, Rich and Kristy discuss the latest poker news and then speak with recent WCOOP High Roller champ Darren Elias about his big victory.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier regained the top spot in the Global Poker Index this week. Mickey Doft takes a look at some of the other big movers in this week’s GPI recap.

Are you planning a trip to Malta for the upcoming World Poker Tour event? Chad Holloway tells you everything you need to know about the area in the latest PokerNews Jet Set.

Venetian Opens New Poker Room

The Venetian Las Vegas has officially launched the largest poker room on the Las Vegas Strip. The brand new Sands Poker Room at The Venetian boasts 59 tables across a plush 14,000 square feet of space, giving poker players one of the best atmospheres in all of Las Vegas to play their favorites games.

“The new Sands Poker Room at The Venetian is a player’s room in every way,” said Kathy Raymond, Venetian executive director of poker operations. “We have carefully integrated new poker room features and services – keeping poker player needs front-of-mind. We believe that the atmosphere and addition of innovative and value-centered promotions and tournaments will give players of all levels a poker experience like no other.”

As part of the grand opening, the Venetian is offering a number of new promotions. From 10 to 11 a.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m., every Sunday through Thursday, the Venetian Happy Hour program allows players to take advantage of rake-free play at the tables. And beginning Sept. 17, the poker room will infuse “Bad Beat” Jackpots into the daily schedule.

Additional promotions will be announced later this month, along with full details of the celebratory Grand Opening Event. See the Sand Poker Room website for more details.

You’ve Got Mail!

According to members of the online poker community, Full Tilt Poker has been sending emails to customers requesting ID verification ahead of the site’s upcoming relaunch.

Customers have been asked to send in photo identification and address verification in accordance with the “anticipated Isle of Man regulatory requirements.” According to the email, once Full Tilt Poker’s relaunch is complete and players have provided the necessary documents, they will have unrestricted access to their account, including all cashier functionality and poker games.

The emails are totally legit and have been confirmed by Shyam Markus, Poker Room Manager at Full Tilt Poker. So far, it seems that only a small percentage of Full Tilt Poker customers have been notified, but the wheels are certainly in motion in order for the site to open its doors by Nov. 6, 2012, as promised.

More info can be found at TwoPlusTwo.com.

Macau Poker Cup Championship

Day 1b of the 2012 PokerStars Macau Poker Cup Championship saw 181 players hit the felts at the Grand Waldo Entertainment Complex, bringing the total number of entrants for the event to 270. The HKD $20,000 buy-in tournament – which had 89 players in the first of two Day 1 flights – has a prize pool of more than $4,800,000 for the top 31 players.

“I’m very pleased with the final number.” said Danny McDonagh, PokerStars’ director of live operations for the Asia-Pacific. “The MPCC crosses over the same schedule as WCOOP which has more players than any other poker series in the world. Seeing some people playing both at the same time says a lot about the importance of MPCC in Asia.”

China’s Yanqin Huang ended Day 1b with 112,925 chips, edging out Germany’s Sebastian Benz (112,625) for the chip lead. They’ll be chasing Day 1a chip leader Edmund Lee and his 119,175 chips when play resumes on Friday. Here’s a look at the top 10 overall stacks heading into Day 2:

The 2012 Macau Poker Cup Championship winner will be crowned on Sunday and will receive a top prize of HKD $1,108,500, which includes an entry to the Asia Championship of Poker Main Event in November. For daily updates from the event, stay tuned to the PokerStars Blog.

Sam Trickett, Matchbook Part Ways

Sam Trickett’s deal as member of Team Matchbook Poker has come to an end. The two sides mutually agreed to end their poker sponsorship arrangement this week, according to a press release issued by Matchbook.

Trickett signed with Matchbook in May 2012 and represented the brand at poker tournaments around the world, including the World Series of Poker where he took second place at the Big One for One Drop. Trickett won more than $10 million in that event to become Europe’s all-time money winner in poker.

“We have long believed that Sam is one of the best poker players in the world, and his success over the last two years is well deserved,” Matchbook said in a statement. “We have been honored to have Sam as the face of the Matchbook Poker team in which his results were nothing short of phenomenal. Sam is a huge asset for any brand, and we fully expect him to secure a sponsorship deal with one of the biggest dedicated poker sites around.”

Said Trickett, “I’m extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to compete in the biggest tournament in this history of poker and it was an experience that will live for me forever.”

Heartland Poker Tour Heads to Iowa

The Heartland Poker Tour is gearing up for $1,500 buy-in Main Event at Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino Hotel in Altoona, Iowa. The tournament will take place from Oct. 19 through Oct. 22, 2012, and will later be featured in two episodes on nationally-syndicated television across the country.

The Main Event begins with Day 1 flights on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20. Day 2 takes place on Oct. 21 and will conclude when the final table of six is reached. The remaining six players will return for television production on Oct. 22nd, while thirteen high-definition cameras capture all of the action until a champion is crowned.

“We are happy to have Prairie Meadows as our partner in Iowa,” said HPT Executive Producer Fred Bevill. “The property is in line with all of the top casinos on our tour.”

Among the notables taking part in the event will be 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, and Lon McEachern, the commentator for ESPN’s coverage of the WSOP. Earlier this year, Raymer won his first HPT title at the Route 66 Championship in New Mexico, and he has been making regular stops seeking title No. 2.

There are a handful of tournaments and Main Event qualifiers leading up to the flagship event at Prairie Meadows. For the full schedule, visit the Heartland Poker Tour website.

50 Shades of Ladurée

During the World Poker Tout Grand Prix de Paris, Kristy Arnett took the Royal Flush Girls to the world famous pastry shop Ladurée to play a game inspired by the novel, 50 Shades of Grey.

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March 14 2012, Brett Collson

Is a deal to purchase Full Tilt Poker near completion? That seemed to be the chatter circling through the poker community on Wednesday. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we’ll bring you the latest comments from the Groupe Bernard Tapie camp, plus positive news for Iowa poker players, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Daniel Negreanu released his “Weekly Rant” on Wednesday. If you want to hear Daniel talk about Ray Bitar, borrowing money, and plenty more, you can find his video blog in our new section, The Muck.

Are you planning a trip to Viña del Mar, Chile, for the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour? Lynn Gilmartin tells you everything you need to know about the city in the latest PokerNews Jet Set.

Only 112 players remain at the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Madrid. Who’s leading the field after play on Day 2? You’ll have to check out the EPT Madrid recap to find out.

Let’s Make a Deal

According to a multiple reports on Tuesday, the pending deal between Groupe Bernard Tapie and Full Tilt Poker is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks, and possibly as early as the end of this week.

Gaming Intelligence reported Wednesday that Groupe Bernard Tapie lawyer Behnam Dayanim is “reasonably confident” that the French investment firm’s agreement to purchase Full Tilt Poker will be completed in the next couple of weeks. The complex sale of Full Tilt Poker has dragged on since an agreement was made between Groupe Bernard Tapie and the Department of Justice last November when the two sides came to an agreement to allow GBT to purchase the forfeited FTP assets from the DOJ for $80 million.

As part of the agreement, GBT would repay non-U.S. players, who are owed an estimated $150 million, and the DOJ would be responsible for repaying the U.S. players, which is also estimated to be about $150 million.

Meanwhile, eGaming Review reports that the deal is expected to be closed by next week, and that Full Tilt Poker could be operating again as early as next month. According to the report, Laurent Tapie is already working on collecting the necessary licenses to bring the embattled poker room back to life. Tapie indicated earlier this year that GBT was in negotiations with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) to resurrect FTP’s operating license.

When PokerNews reached out to Tapie lawyer Behnam Dayanim on Tuesday, he said the following: “All I can say is that negotiations are ongoing. I can make no further comment.”

We’ll continue to keep you up to date on the latest from Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie.

Iowa Senate Approves Online Poker Bill

One week after a Mississippi online gambling bill died in committee, the Iowa Senate passed a measure to allow Iowa casinos and racetracks to offer online poker to residents in the state.

Senate File 2275 passed by a vote of 29-20 on Tuesday and will now move on to the House. If passed there, Gov. Terry Branstad could then sign it into a law. An Internet poker platform would be licensed and regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC), which has already been given the go-ahead to establish a structure whereby operators would partner with state-licensed casinos to provide access to online sites.

Iowa has been one of many states to show support for online poker since the Department of Justice changed its position on the Wire Act of 1961 in December. Iowa lawmakers commissioned a study last year to determine the practicality and potential income Internet poker could generate for the state. Assuming a tax rate of 22 percent, the projections indicate approximately $3 million to $13 million in potential tax revenue for the state annually, according to the IRGC.

Read more at PokerNews.com.

Timoshenko, Katchalov Join PartyPoker Premier League

The lineup for the upcoming PartyPoker Premier League V got even stronger Wednesday as Eugene Katchalov and Yevgeniy Timoshenko added their names to the mix.

Katchalov and Timoshenko will join Tom Dwan, Erik Seidel, Patrik Antonius, Sam Trickett, Vanessa Selbst, Luke Schwartz, Tony G, and other putting up the $125,000 buy-in for the event at the Montesino Casino in Vienna, Austria from April 4 through 10. Katchalov will be making his first appearance on the televised Premier League stage, and Timoshenko will be competing in the event for the second time.

“I’m very happy and excited to be able to play the PartyPoker Premier League Event this year,” Katchalov told the PartyPoker Blog. “From what I’ve heard and read, it’s a unique and fun structured event that will have some tough competition but I’m sure will be a great experience overall!”

Read more at PokerNews.com.

Haxton Comes Back to Defeat Blom in SuperStar Showdown

After their Sunday match was postponed due to Internet connectivity issues, Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom and Isaac “philivey2694″ Haxton resumed the PokerStars SuperStar Showdown on Tuesday. Picking up where they left off on Sunday, Blom was up $99,886 through 692 hands when action began, meaning Haxton had a huge hill to climb in order to beat the Swede with around 1,800 hands left to play.

The climb turned out to be a smooth one for Haxton, who battled back to claim a slight win over the Team PokerStars Pro for the second straight time. After 2,500 hands, Haxton left the tables with $5,093 in profit, bringing his winnings against Blom in the SuperStar Showdown to $46,794 over 5,000 hands. The loss dropped Blom’s record to 8-4 in SuperStar Showdown matches since the format was created in December 2010.

SuperStar Showdown Breakdown

Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel maintained his gigantic lead in the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings this week. The award, which is 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.

Duhamel already has four six-figure scores in 2012 and added another cash to his resume at the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event, where he took 13th for $25,620. Duhamel has 595.68 points in the GPI POY, giving him a huge lead over the closest competitor, Erik Cajelais, who has 342.87 points.

Cajelais moved up 13 spots after finishing fourth at Bay 101 for $256,300. The Montreal native has five qualifying cashes in 2012, including a third-place result at a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure side event in January.

Noah Schwartz, Faraz Jaka and Samuel Chartier rounded out the top 5, respectively. Here’s a look at the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:

GPI Player of the Year Top 10

For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.

Welcome to Madrid!

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is in Spain for the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Madrid Main Event. PokerNews hostess Kristy Arnett took a tour around the city and even got a look inside the home of the famous Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.

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