March 22 2012, Brett Collson

On Wednesday, Groupe Bernard Tapie Lawyer Behnam Dayanim told us there was no update regarding the company’s purchase of Full Tilt Poker. We did, however, discover some news involving FTP on Thursday. We’ll bring you that story and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The 2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney Main Event got under way on Thursday. Find out which players survived Day 1a in our ANZPT recap.

Reid Young is the author of The Blue Book: An Advanced Strategy Guide for No-Limit Hold’em Cash Games. This week, Young joined the Strategy with Kristy podcast to discuss advanced strategy involving showdown value, among other topics.

Last year, Stuart McDonald collected $87,129 at the Latin American Poker Tour event in Medellin, Colombia. PokerNews recently caught up with the Australian pro in Vina del Mar, Chile, to find out what he’s been up to since his big score.

Why are protesters fighting to keep “Eurovegas” out of Madrid? Find out in the latest Inside Gaming.

Andrew Lichtenberger cracked the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index this week. Mickey Doft takes a look at the biggest movers and shakers on the GPI.

Season 5 of the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour kicked off in Chile on Wednesday. Get the details from Vina del Mar in our LAPT recap.

FTP, PokerStars and AP Given More Time to Respond

While the world continued waiting for the pending deal between Groupe Bernard Tapie and Full Tilt Poker to be completed this week, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York granted another extension to FTP and other respondents of an amended civil complaint regarding last April’s Black Friday indictments.

After the previous deadline of March 19 passed, PokerStars, Absolute Poker, Howard Lederer, Ray Bitar, Rafe Furst and payment processor Chad Elie were given until May 14, 2012 file a response. The extension is another on a growing list since the respondents’ original response date of the indictment passed on Nov. 30, 2011.

Read more at PokerNews.com.

Adios, Bodog

Bodog was back in the news this week after announcing that it is exiting the Spanish market ahead of the country’s new gambling market. The company released a statement to players in Spain about the decision:

“We would like to inform you that due to recent regulatory changes, we are no longer able to offer our betting or wagering services to residents of Spain or Spanish territories. Your account will be disabled on the 31st of March 2012 and as of today; you are no longer able to make any further deposits to your account.”

The new gambling regulations in Spain are expected to go into effect later this year. More than 60 companies have applies for operating licenses. Among the online poker rooms interested in the space include PokerStars, bwin.party, 888 and Ladbrokes. Groupe Bernard Tapie also reportedly submitted an application before the Dec. 14, 2011 deadline.

Bwin.Party Launches iPad App

This week, bwin.party digital entertainment became the latest online gaming operator to launch a real money poker app for the iPad. The release comes more than a year after the company unveiled a real money platform for iPhone and Android devices. The iPad software is based on those models.

“The bwin iPad Poker app gives bwin.com customers unrestricted access to the bwin poker account – now with the full iPad resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels,” said Berthold Kao, head of bwin.party’s mobile, touch and video department.

“The bwin iPad Poker app extends our lead in mobile entertainment on tablet devices and builds on our hugely successful iPhone Poker app that bwin.party designs with its own mobile development teams. Together with the bwin Sports App for pre-event and live betting enthusiasts and several Casino games for Android and iPhone as well as Java based phones, we now offer our customers an exciting portfolio of games.”

The app can be downloaded from the iTunes Store or the Bwin website, with one download covering both the iPhone and iPad versions of the game.

Visit bwinparty.com for more information.

WSOP Circuit Heads to California

On Thursday, the World Series of Poker announced (albeit in bizarre, satirical way) that poker pro Gavin Smith will participate in the three-day $1,600 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit Event at Harrah’s Rincon starting this Saturday, March 25. Smith, who has more than $4 million in live tournament earnings, is known for his easygoing personality and propensity for side bets at the table. He’s also been known to have a drink or two.

WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla had some fun at Smith’s expense in a press release, saying “No matter what happens in the Main Event, Smith is certain to make a major impact at Harrah’s Rincon. Two extra bartenders and three additional cocktail waitresses have been hired for the occasion. The credit manager has also been put on alert.”

Last year, Seneca Easley took down the $1,600 Main Event at Harrah’s Rincon, besting a field of 188 players that included Dwyte Pilgrim, Jerry Yang, Allen Kessler, Phil Hellmuth, Dennis Phillips, Adam Levy, and Poker News’ Kristy Arnett. Easley won $70,384 and a seat into the WSOP Circuit National Championship freeroll, a prize that will go to this year’s winner, as well.

PokerNews will be providing live coverage of the WSOP Circuit event in Rincon, so check our Live Reporting page when the action kicks off on Saturday!

Welcome to Sydney!

The PokerStars.net ANZPT is in Sydney, Australia, this week. PokerNews’ Lynn Gilmartin toured the city to show off her favorite spots.

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October 05 2011, Brett Collson

In 2008, Kentucky filed suit against 141 Internet gambling domain names including PokerStars.com and FullTiltPoker.com. Now, Kentucky is back with another list of requests. Also in this edition of the Nightly Turbo, the International Stadiums Poker Tour has released more details about its $30 million event at Wembley, an online poker buzz had made its way to Washington, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Kentucky is claiming rights to the four online poker domains named in the Black Friday indictments. Find out what else Kentucky requested when it filed a claim in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York last week.

Cardroom International also filed a lawsuit against FTP and PokerStars last week. Here’s a breakdown of the suit and what Cardroom International wants from its competitors.

The PokerStars European Poker Tour gets under way in San Remo later this month. Are you planning a trip? Check out our guide to the city in the latest edition of the PokerNews Jet Set.

On Thursday, the South Point Casino in Las Vegas is launching the first casino-based poker site. We spoke with the casino’s owner, Michael Gaughan, about what he plans to do with the new poker room.

Did you miss Tuesday’s coverage the World Series of Poker on ESPN? Check out our recap to find out who advanced to Day 7 of the Main Event!

Macau’s year-over-year gaming revenue grew 39 percent in September, but that wasn’t good news. Inside Gaming has the scoop on why Macau casino operators saw their stocks plummet last week.

How has the Full Tilt Poker issue affected players at the nosebleed stakes? Scott “URnotINdanger2″ Palmer talks about his life post-Black Friday in the latest PokerNews Podcast.

The European Poker Tour Main Event in London was down to 24 players on Wednesday. Find out who was still in contention for the top prize of £750,000.

Seventy-five of poker’s elite players entered the £20,000 High-Roller Event at EPT London. PokerNews recapped the action as field was trimmed to 30 on Day 1.

Shootout at Wembley

In Monday’s edition of the Nightly Turbo, we featured a story about the launch the International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT), an organization backed by Groupe Bernard Tapie. There wasn’t much info provided except for a tournament with a hefty $30 million guarantee taking place at Wembley Stadium in London.

But it got our attention. And on Tuesday evening, the website was updated with more information. According to the site, ISPT is “a poker tournament organized each year in internationally renowned stadiums.” The Wembley event is the first on the schedule and will take place over five days some time between Aug. 15 and Oct. 9, 2012, with the final dates to be released by Wembley after the national soccer team calendar is published next month.

Still a bit vague, but at least we’re getting somewhere.

The tournament itself will begin with up to 30,000 players, all of whom will have qualified online, playing a shootout format using electronic pads offered to them from their seats in the stadium. Then, after the first round, the remaining players will move to actual tables laid out on the Wembley lawn. Play will continue until a winner is handed a top prize of $10 million.

This is a very unique idea and we’re interested to see how it develops. In the meantime, have another look at the advert. It’s still awesome.

For more information, visit the ISPT website.

Online Poker Creating Buzz in Washington?

The opening of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas on Tuesday brought some good news for online poker players. The American Gaming Association (AGA) announced its support for federal regulation in the U.S. and said it intends to press lawmakers to pass legislation that would permit land-based casinos to offer online poker to residents on a state-by-state case.

AGA executive Frank Fahrenkopf said Tuesday that he’s optimistic a new bill will be introduced to Congress before the end of this year. “We’re perhaps closer to federal legislation than we’ve ever been,” Fahrenkopf told reporters. “There’s a buzz in Washington about the need for action.”

Fahrenkopf said he and his staff have been meeting with more than 100 newly elected lawmakers. He added that the most recent bill introduced by Rep. Joe Barton in June has lost steam, and the AGA is seeking a sponsor to step up and introduce a bill that the organization supports.

For more, check out the story from the Associated Press.

ShaneWarne.com Super Stack

Just days after proposing to British model and actress Elizabeth Hurley (she said yes), cricket legend Shane Warne and the Crown Poker Room announced the schedule for the ShaneWarne.com Super Stack event from Oct. 21 through Oct. 23 in Melbourne, Australia.

The AUD$300 buy-in event has two starting days and offers Crown players a chance to rebuy on Day 1b if they’re eliminated on Day 1a. The event will conclude on Day 2 (Oct. 23) when a champion is crowned.

Warne, 42, has taken occasional breaks from cricket to turn his competitive fire to poker. His biggest accomplishment on the live circuit was a third-place finish at the 2010 Victorian Poker Championship at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Warne earned AU$40,000 in the event, which was won by Aussie pro Jonathan Karamalikis.

Tournament details for the ShaneWarne.com Super Stack event can be found at the Crown Poker website.

The AZNPT Hits New Zealand

The PokerStars.net Australia and New Zealand Poker Tour Darwin kicked off this week with the $2,200 Main Event. Lee “Final Table” Nelson won the ANZPT event in Melbourne last week, and 64 players showed up in Darwin to follow his lead and take a shot at the $128,000 prize pool.

The modest field still managed to produce a talented field as former ANZPT Perth champ Grant Levy and former APPT winners Aaron Benton and Marcel Schreiner were in attendance. At the end of two Day 1s, 47 players had survived with Australia’s Roy Hills leading the way. Benton and top Aussie online pro Brendon Rubie were also among the top five stacks entering Day 2.

Follow the live reports over at the PokerStars Blog for the latest updates from Darwin.

O’Dwyer Rules!

Steve O’Dwyer was cruising on Day 4 of the European Poker Tour London Main Event. PokerNews’ Sarah Grant caught up with “MrTimCaum” to talk about his recent move to Malta, the story behind his online moniker, and more.

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