October 25 2012, Brett Collson

A multi-million dollar sports betting operation was exposed by authorities this week, and two people with close ties to the poker community were involved. We’ll bring you that story, plus Dominik Nitsche eyeing his first World Poker Tour title, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Want to learn more about the mysterious high-stakes cash games in Macau? Chad Holloway takes a look at some of the key players you might not know.

The October Nine is right around the corner. What has Michael Esposito done to prepare for the biggest final table of his life? Find out in his interview with PokerNews.

Jason Mercier maintained his lead in the Global Poker Index this week. But is he in danger of falling from the top spot? Mickey Doft takes a look at the biggest movers and shakers of the GPI.

The 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event was filled with exciting and unusual scenarios. Rich Ryan is breaking down the top 10 moments from poker’s biggest stage.

Lead photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour

Busted

Two men with close ties to the poker community have been arrested for their involvement in an illegal sports betting ring that has captivated the online gambling world this week.

Steve Diano

Former Full Tilt Poker Red Pro Paul Sexton, 29, and World Series of Poker regular Steve Diano, 48, are among 25 people being variously charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. They each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

According to the indictment, Sexton acted as an agent/money collector in the multi-million dollar sports betting operation between April 13, 2011 and Oct. 18, 2012. The enterprise, dubbed World Wide Wagers, is accused of illegally accepting more than $50 million in bets on horse races, pro and college football, basketball, hockey and baseball during that time span.

Diano allegedly served as bookmaker and was charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering, and conspiracy. A regular at the World Series of Poker during the past decade, Diano has nearly $240,000 in live poker tournament cashes, including a pair of WSOP final tables. One of those final tables, shown on ESPN in 2005, also featured Paul Sexton’s father, Keith.

Small world.

According to the indictment, the illegal gambling charges involve Pinnacle Sports, an offshore online gambling website that exited the U.S. market in 2007. The ring allegedly used nontraditional “wire rooms” such as PinnacleSports.com whereby bettors and agents could place sports wagers.

For more in the story, read the article here at PokerNews.com.

Nitsche Leads WPT South Africa

The inaugural World Poker Tour Emperors Palace Poker Classic, dubbed WPT South Africa, played down to a six-handed final table on Thursday. The $3,600 buy-in Main Event, which attracted 223 entrants, will see the winner take home $206,153.

German poker pro Dominik Nitsche will enter the final table as the massive chip leader, boasting more than 40 percent of the chips in play. With a victory, the 21-year-old Nitsche would add a second leg to the Poker Triple Crown after winning a World Series of Poker bracelet earlier this year.

Nitsche amassed his giant stack late on Day 3, eliminating six consecutive players as the field moved closer to the final table. He busted Gareth Kalil (13th place – $8,834), Mike Robertson (12th place – $10,307), Rudolf Fourie (11th place – $10,307), Peter Khan (10th place – $10,307) , Muaaz Gani in (9th place – $13,252), and Ryan Price (8th place – $18,405). Then, on the final table bubble, Sunil Devachander was all in with against William Ross’ , and a queen-high board sent Devachander off to pick up his $25,031 payday, securing the final table in the process.

Here’s a look at the six members of the inaugural World Poker Tour Emperors Palace Poker Classic:

For an in-depth look at all of the highlights from Day 3, check out the World Poker Tour Live Updates page.

Federal Bill Gaining Support

According to multiple reports Thursday, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has fully endorsed a federal online gambling bill drafted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Jon Kyl.

Sandoval, the former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, wrote a letter to the congressional leaders Thursday offering his full support of their efforts to legalize forms of Internet gambling like poker. The bill could come up when Congress reconvenes after the Nov. 6 election for a lame-duck session.

“While many states have long-standing proficiency in regulating brick-and-mortar gaming within their boundaries, the advent of Internet gaming has introduced a borderless element that state regulation alone cannot address,” Sandoval wrote.

“As Congress considers legislation to address the uncertainty surrounding Internet gaming, I offer my full support to the efforts by Sens. Harry Reid and John [sic] Kyl to draft a federal bill that strikes a balance between consumer protection and maintaining state authority.”

The online gambling bill would seek to legalize online poker and establish a framework for it to be regulated on the federal level. Sen. Dean Heller, who has worked with Kyl to promote the measure, believes there is enough support in Congress to approve Internet poker because it is a game of skill, unlike other casino games where gamblers play against the house.

The Hill has more.

Rob Salaburu’s RunGood

October Niner Rob Salaburu will be representing poker-themed clothing company RunGoodGear when he takes his seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table next week. Salaburu, who enters the final table seventh in chips with 15,155,000, will sport apparel from RunGoodGear’s online store along with the company’s signature patch.

“The RunGood office and I are ecstatic that Rob agreed to help represent our company,” said Tana Karn, founder and President of RunGoodGear.com. “We hope to send him all the run-good we can muster for his final stretch into poker history.”

One of the tee-shirt designs by RunGoodGear is taken from a memorable Salaburu quote during ESPN’s coverage of the Main Event. With Salaburu looking on during a key moment at the feature table, David Balkin misread the hand of opponent Gaelle Baumann at showdown, thinking Baumann had a pair of jacks. She had actually rivered a flush against Balkin’s flopped set of tens.

As Balkin celebrated with his rail, Salaburu bluntly said to him, “You lost, bro.” Thus, a new poker catch phrase was born.

Salaburu isn’t the only 2012 Octo-Niner who inked a sponsorship deal since July. Steve Gee signed with PokerAce.com; Jeremy Ausmus will be endorsing Hog Wild Poker and social media company TTAGIT Social Networks Inc.; and Jesse Sylvia, Russell Thomas and Jake Balsiger will be wearing 888poker gear.

For more, visit RunGoodGear.com.

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October 09 2012, Brett Collson

Were you excited about the relaunch of Full Tilt Poker before this week? If so, you’ll love the news released on Monday and Tuesday. We’ll bring you that, plus October Niners preparing for the WSOP Main Event final table, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Would the federal online poker bill introduced by Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl be the best option for poker players in the U.S.? PokerNews’ Matthew Kredell gives his take.

On Tuesday, Full Tilt Poker announced that it has received an operating license in the Isle of Man. Read the full story here at PokerNews.com.

What steps did Full Tilt Poker need to take before it received its Isle of Man gaming license? PokerNews’ Rich Ryan spoke with Gambling Supervision Commission CEO Steve Brennan to find out that and more.

Dan Heimiller won the 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event on Monday. Read about his road to victory in our WSOPC recap.

Many pros had success during the side events at EPT Sanremo. Chad Holloway takes a look at all of the winners.

Russell Thomas Hires Somerville

Since the inception of the November Nine in 2008, we’ve heard many stories about the training and studying players have done in the months leading up to the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table. Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and other high-profile players have even been hired as coaches for November Niners.

This year is no different. Chip leader Jesse Sylvia told the PokerNews Podcast crew last week that he’s hired Vanessa Selbst to give him pointers ahead of the final table. And on Tuesday, we learned that Russell Thomas has appointed Jason Somerville as his October Nine coach.

To make the experience more memorable, Somerville is filming the entire process and sharing it with the poker community. Said Somerville via Twitter, “I’ve spent more time on this project than anything else I’ve ever done and I’m really proud of it. My sincere thanks to all who’ve contributed!”

Thomas will enter the final table fourth in chips with 24.8 million. Here’s a look at Part I of his training process with Somerville and others:

FTOPS XXI Coming in December

With an operating license in its pocket and a relaunch set for Nov. 6, Full Tilt Poker is gearing up for the next edition of the popular Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) in December.

According to FTP poker room manager Shyam Markus, FTOPS XXI is scheduled to run from Dec. 2 through 16. The quarterly series became a staple on the poker site’s annual calendar and the company is wasting little time in restoring it to the schedule.

The official slate of events for FTOPS XXI hasn’t been announced, but players can likely expect a similar variation of games and buy-in, as well as the flagship Main Event to round out the series. Earlier this year, more than $9 million was awarded in the $640 buy-in FTOPS IX Main Event alone, with Blair Hinkle collecting the largest share ($1.1 million) after negotiating a deal at the final table. The most recent series, FTOPS XX, ran post-Black Friday and saw much small prize pools because of the absence of U.S. players.

For more information on the relaunch of Full Tilt Poker, visit Shyam Markus’ thread at TwoPlusTwo.com.

ESPN’s The Nuts

The latest edition of ESPN’s The Nuts was released on Tuesday. The monthly blog post ranks the best poker players in the world at the moment. The 10-person panel includes Elaine Chaivarlis, PokerNews’ editor in chief; Don Peters, PokerNews‘ tournament reporting manager; and ESPN’s Andrew Feldman, Gary Wise, and Bernard Lee, among others.

Phil Ivey maintained the top spot again this month, but his reign is being threatened by the game’s all-time WSOP bracelet leader. Phil Hellmuth won his 13th bracelet at the WSOP Europe Main Event last week, giving him two bracelets in 2012 and an excellent shot at WSOP Player of the Year. Hellmuth received two first-place votes from The Nuts‘ panel; Phil Ivey received seven, and Jason Mercier earned one after his victory in the $10,300 WCOOP 8-Game Championship at PokerStars last month.

Antonio Esfandiari climbed into the top 10 this month following his own second bracelet win of 2012. Esfandiari sits at No. 6 in the rankings after winning the ” 1,100 re-entry event at the WSOP Europe. Esfandiari won the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop this summer for $18 million, making him the game’s all-time tournament money winner.

Here’s a look at the top 10 for October.

For more analysis on The Nuts rankings, check out ESPN.com.

Lo Toney Leaves Zynga

On Tuesday, PokerNews learned that Laurence “Lo” Toney has left his position as general manager of Zynga Poker. Toney spent three years at Zynga, two as the manager of the poker division, before making his exit this year.

In an interview with All Things D, Toney said his departure is less about Zynga and more about other opportunities that have been offered to him. “I have been approached by several organizations to lead teams and companies that I find exciting and compelling,” he said. “It is the right time for me in my career to move on.”

Toney leaves the company while it is still a free-play service, but Zynga CEO Mark Pincus said earlier this year that that real-money gaming would be a “natural fit.” The company, which currently raises revenue through advertising and the sale of virtual goods, has been in discussions with several partners about a shift into the real-money online gambling market.

Read more at AllThingsD.com.

WSOP on ESPN

ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker continues Tuesday night with action from the penultimate Day 7 of the Main Event. The broadcast begins at 9:30 p.m. ET and will focus on the remaining 27 players battling for a spot at the final table.

The coverage will feature two women – Elisabeth Hille and Gaelle Baumann – reaching the final 27 players for the first time since 2000, when Annie Duke and Kathy Liebert made deep runs, only to fall short of the final table. They’ll begin the broadcast chasing French-Canadian Marc-Andre Ladouceur, who began Day 7 as the chip leader. Others still in the field entering the day were Greg Merson, Paul Volpe, Jamie Robbins, Daniel Strelitz, Yuval Bronshtein and Steven Gee.

If you happened to miss any of the action during our Day 7 coverage in July (spoiler), here’s a teaser of tonight’s broadcast:

ElkY, Katchalov Pedal into Sanremo

A lot of players made the trip from Cannes to Sanremo to play in the European Poker Tour Main Event. But Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Eugene Katchalov did it on bikes! Sarah Grant caught up with Katchalov, Grospellier, and their trainer to discuss the unusual trip to Italy.

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