November 11 2011, Brett Collson

It’s Friday, and we want to get your weekend started off on the right foot. What better way than to talk about strip poker? In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we bring you a strip poker game in New York City, a chance to freeroll for thousands of dollars courtesy of poker pro Matt Glantz, and more.

In Case You Missed It

This week, the United States Department of Justice filed a response to the pretrial motions of John Campos and Chad Elie, two of the 11 men indicted on Black Friday. Take a look at the 52-page response to find out more.

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.

It was recently announced that Poker Players Alliance chairman Al D’Amato will testify next week in one of two hearings on Internet poker on Capitol Hill. What could each of the hearings mean for online poker?

The PokerNews Team was at the Penn &Teller Theater for every moment of the 2011 WSOP Main Event final table. Take a photographic look back at the November Nine festivities in WSOP Through the Lens.

On Thursday, we brought you Part 1 of our post-WSOP interview with world champion Pius Heinz. In Part II, Heinz discussed his marathon heads-up match against Martin Staszko, and more.

Sunday is almost here and that means football. All 32 teams are in action this week, and we discuss all 16 games in the latest Pigskin Diaries.

Miss anything this week? Kristy Arnett gets you caught up on the latest news, views and gossip in the PokerNews Weekly.

Strip Poker in The Big Apple

On Saturday, a group of card players will engage in a week-long strip poker game in New York City that intends to deliver a serious economic message. Each day for a week, for seven and a half hours every day, seven players will gather around a white table in a TriBeCa storefront to gamble away their clothes. At the end of each game, the players will get dressed and begin another game.

The demonstration, called I’ll Raise You One…, will be fully visible from the street and will surely attract a crowd on onlookers. Artist Jeffrey Throwell will be one of the exhibitionists in the display and explains his inspiration for the piece by saying, “In a world where money has taken supreme importance and all functions of life are commoditized, I’ll Raise You One… is a project where clothing, charisma and a good bluff are the only currency.”

The last time Throwell used nudity as a political message, he dressed dozens of people up as bankers, hot dog vendors and secretaries, and had them strip bare on Wall Street. Three people were arrested for disorderly conduct during that display, but Throwell doesn’t expect any police action this time since the strip poker game will take place indoors.

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing updates from TriBeCa all week so be sure to check in for the latest photos.

(Sadly, not really.)

Get more on this story at artingeneral.org.

Matt Glantz Offers Freeroll

Poker pro Matt Glantz has a new website, and he’s celebrating the launch by giving away percentages of himself in three future tournaments. Glantz is offering six players a chance at free money just by creating an account on his website and doing a little recruiting.

According to the site, one new sign-up will receive 10 percent of Glantz in the World Poker Tour Jacksonville event on Nov. 18, 2011. Then, five more sign-ups will win percentages of Glantz in the Bellagio Five Diamond Main Event on Dec. 6 and the Epic Poker League Main Event on Dec. 14. Those prizes will be awarded to the top five individuals who refer the most sign-ups to Matt’s blog.

Glantz has more than $4 million in live tournament earnings in his career. He’s cashed in each of the first two EPL Main Events, taking 14th place in Series 1 for $43,190 and then 12th place in Series 2 for $46,020. His biggest win came at the 2009 PokerStars European Poker Tour London High Roller event for $882,736.

Get more info at www.mattglantzpoker.com.

“Major” Announcement from PKR

Nowadays, we can’t help but roll our eyes when an online poker site makes an announcement about a future announcement (see Full Tilt Poker after Black Friday). On Friday, PKR.com said it is set to unveil the newest member of Team PKR Pro. However, we have to wait until next week to find out who it is.

The site will reveal the player’s identity on Thursday, Nov. 17. He or she will join the current crop of six Team PKR players that includes Vladimir “Beyne” Geshkenbein, Scott Shelley, Sofia ‘welllbet’ Lovgren, James “james666″ Sudworth, Sascha “locodice” Walter and Marc “Waswini” Bariller.

According to PKR, the new arrival “is among the best poker players in the world, and will represent PKR in the biggest events across the globe.” Could it be Phil Hellmuth? Phil Ivey? Howard Lederer? The anticipation is killing us.

Read the PKR press release at marketwatch.com.

Poker Encore Welcomes New Pro

Poker Encore, a skin on the iPoker Network, announced the latest edition of its pro team this week. British pro James Williams, who plays under the handle “LJAMESL,” joined Karl Mahrenholz, Paul “Action” Jackson, Simon “Amatay” Jones and Constantine Paparestis as the site’s sponsored pros.

Williams, 25, can be found playing no-limit cash games as high as $10/20 online, but he also has more than $200,000 in live tournament earnings. His biggest score came in 2009 when he took second place in the GUKPT Blackpool Main Event for a £52,400.

“I first played with James two or three years ago and recognized the raw talent he had,” said Mahrenholz, who is also one of the co-founders of Poker Encore. “Not only is he a fearless player but he plays the game with a great attitude, which is so important to make it in the poker world.”

Read more at UK.PokerNews.com.

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

Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson

November 04 2011, Brett Collson

PokerStars gave away more than $70,000 as part of its 70 Billionth Hand promotion on Thursday night, but it didn’t come without a little controversy. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we bring you a statement from PokerStars about its milestone celebration, a new sponsor for 2011 WSOP November Niner Matt Giannetti, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The days until the 2011 World Series of Poker November Nine are dwindling, and we’re always curious to find out how the members of the prestigious Final Table are spending their time. We recently talked to Pius Heinz to find out how he’s been preparing for poker’s biggest stage.

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.

The World Poker Tour Main Event in Amneville was down to 76 players after Day 2. Find out who was leading the way in our daily recap.

The WSOP Main Event final table kicks off Sunday afternoon. Team PokerNews gave their predictions for poker’s biggest spectacle.

Sunday is almost here and that means football. Rich Ryan gives you three keys to each of this week’s games in the latest Pigskin Diaries.

Miss anything this week? Sarah Grant gets you caught up on the latest news, views and gossip in the PokerNews Weekly.

PokerStars Deals 70 Billionth Hand

PokerStars dealt its 70 billionth hand late Thursday night, giving one lucky player more than $70,000 as part of the Mega Milestone celebration. PokerStars gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past week leading up to the 70 billionth hand, which came one month before the site celebrates its 10th Anniversary.

Play was halted at a $.25/.50 no-limit hold’em heads-up table Thursday night when two German players were informed that they were about to be a part of history. Railbirds flocked to the table as the two players put their $25 stacks preflop; one player was about to win $73,380, while the other would collect $1,700.

Koenigskeba:
DodgeUrOuts:

The board came , giving “Koenigskeba” a winning pair of aces and the grand prize.

Then came the controversy. After the river card was dealt, several onlookers discovered that the two winners had been working together by folding hands as quickly as possible leading up to the milestone. Since they weren’t paying any rake, they were basically freerolling for a shot at the milestone prize.

That sparked confusion and even animosity from players who had been taking part in the promotion. On Friday, PokerNews reached out to PokerStars for a statement. Here’s the response we received:

“The winner of our 70 billion hand promotion appears to have worked with another player to use “fast-folding” methods in an attempt to gain an advantage, which has raised concerns among a number of our players. We have reviewed the circumstances around the winning hand and have determined that while the fast-folding may not be in the spirit of the promotion, it does not violate the rules and regulations of the promotion or our Terms of Service. As such, we will honour our promotional award.”

“We are reviewing the format of the promotion to try to minimize this kind of activity in future milestone hand promotions. We’ll provide more information on this in the near future. Rest assured that any format revisions will be implemented in time for the next milestone hands promotion, which will be a special edition during the 10th Anniversary celebrations.”

Read more about the 70 Billionth Hand promotion at the PokerStars Blog.

Giannetti Powered By Fuse

The World Series of Poker Main Event is just days away, and the sponsors are starting to line up. November Niner Matt Giannetti revealed Friday that he has signed a deal with Fuse Science to represent that company at the final table. Giannetti will be using an anti-inflammatory topical gel called EnerJel at the final table and will also use the product as his card protector.

“With EnerJel, it’s no question. I feel the burst of energy in just seconds as opposed to a half hour or more with the standard energy drinks and shots,” said Giannetti. “EnerJel will help me keep my focus throughout the tournament, and its all-natural healthy boost of energy is exactly what I need. I can’t worry about getting the jitters from downing an energy drink. My focus will solely be on winning this event; I can’t let fatigue get in the way.”

EnerJel is also endorsed by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Micheal Vick and Houston Texans running back Arian Foster. While it may not be the ideal fit for a poker player at the WSOP Main Event (see Pius Heiz’s deal with PokerStars below), it’s good to see a U.S.-based November Niner finding a sponsor after Black Friday.

The full press release can be found at Yahoo.com.

Pius Heinz joins team PokerStars

On Friday, PokerStars announced that 2011 World Series of Poker November Niner Pius Heinz is the newest member of Team PokerStars. The German poker pro is set to compete for his first bracelet and $8.7 million at the upcoming WSOP Main Event final table.

Heinz, 22, is a rising star in the game with more than $700,000 in online tournament earnings, plus another $100,000-plus in earnings on the live felt. He made his first WSOP final table in a $1,500 buy-in event in June, and followed it up with an impressive run in the Main Event.

“I’m pretty relaxed about the game,” said Heinz, who enters the Main Event final table seventh in chips. “There are a lot of tough players left but I’m confident I can win it. Joining PokerStars has given me an extra lift, too. I’m looking forward to being part of the team.”

Heinz joins the likes of Sanda Naujoks, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Boris Becker as a Team PokerStars member from Germany.

Read the full story here at PokerNews.com.

Black Friday Sites Receive Extension

Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker have received an extension to respond to an amended civil complaint issued on Sept. 20, 2011. The three sites had a previous deadline of Oct. 31, but they have been granted until the end of November to give their responses.

The extensions were permitted by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara following appeals sent by the companies ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline. The companies had already been granted one extension to the original deadline of Sept. 30.

The news came in the same week that prospective investor Groupe Bernard Tapie allegedly reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to continue its purchase of Full Tilt Poker. That deal is expected to come in the next couple weeks.

Last week, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission issued a statement saying that the CEREUS Network had proposed a repayment plan to repay players at its two sites, Absolute Poker and UB. The announcement came just a few days before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Indicted payment processor Chad Elie was given the same Nov. 30 extension as the three online sites. Elie, along with indicted bank owner John Campos, filed a motion to dismiss the civil complaint last month. He originally pleaded not guilty to the nine charges against him back in April.

The filings can be found online Justia.com.

Nouvelle Maison Pour Duhamel

A new poker room in Quebec is preparing to open its doors this fall, and one former world champ is calling the setting his new home. Reigning World Series of Poker Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel has teamed up with some other well-known Canadian pros to promote the Stardust Poker Mansion, located in Kahnawake on the South Shore of Montreal.

The room is the brainchild of managers Yann Bergeron and Isham Yamani, whose objective was to create a luxurious poker venue that rivals the top poker rooms in the world.

According to the website, the Stardust Poker Mansion will open with 20 poker tables standing six feet apart, each equipped with a racetrack to provide the utmost comfort for each player. Also provided will be an entire floor in the mansion reserved for a gourmet restaurant.

Duhamel and poker pros Marc Stephen McLaughlin, Chris McClung, Gabriel Houle Morin and Genevieve Gloutnez are the first elected members of the Stardust Poker Club. The team will be focused on building social awareness by hosting charity events to give back to the community.

Learn more at the Stardust Poker Mansion’s website.

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

Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson