Online poker news
Recently, Tokwiro-owned online poker room Ultimate Bet announced the launch of STEP tournaments, allowing its members a challenging low-cost way to win their way into the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. STEP tournaments are also available on sister site Absolute Poker. Read more »
Next Sunday will mark the start of the Bluff Online Poker. Originally slated to take part in the festivities was Josh "JJProdigy" Field. However, due to violations of the Cake Poker Network's Terms of Service, Field will not be allowed to participate. Read more »
The PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) will make its debut on April 2nd. The 22 tournaments will actually feature three different stakes per event: Low, Medium, and High. Consequently, at least $30 million will be up for grabs for players of all bankrolls. Read more »
Poker News Daily has learned that Poker Host, which currently makes its home on the Microgaming Network, may soon depart for one that accepts players from the United States. The revelation came from "John" at Poker Host's Customer Service Department. Read more »
This weekend marked several historical tournaments held during the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS). Its $535 buy-in Main Event was won by csimmsux, while girlyhurly pocketed $144,000 for winning the largest FTOPS tournament ever held at 9,061 entrants. Read more »
Early on Monday morning, PokerStars celebrated its 25 billionth hand dealt on the site, but not without some confusion, a software error, and ultimately two major award winners. Read more »
On October 31st, 2008, Fleet Street Games, a subscription-based online poker site, shut its doors. The company, which was founded by a former PokerStars executive, cited the "chaotic economy" as the reason for its departure from the market. Now, it has teamed up with PokerStars to send customers to the popular online poker site. Read more »
On April 5th, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) presents WrestleMania XXV, which will kick off from Reliant Stadium in Houston, home of the Texans franchise of the National Football League. The annual spectacle is one of the storied events in the wrestling industry. Read more »
Late Friday night, the Merge Gaming Network Bad Beat Jackpot was awarded. At the time the pot was scooped, the Jackpot had reached $1.2 million, meaning $417,396 was given to its winner. At the end of the day, RUGGIO was bested by AELANI when RUGGIO's jack-high straight flush fell to AELANI's king-high straight flush. Read more »
The winner of the 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event, Carter "ckingusc" King may be facing charges as a result of U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps being spotted using a bong at a South Carolina party. The Smoking Gun reports that King's arrest is not directly associated with Phelps' actions. Read more »
This week, another major online poker room found a new home, as Ladbrokes Poker joined the Microgaming Network. A bevy of high-stakes promotions will be held as part of the changeover, which became official on Tuesday, including an exclusive Ladbrokes Poker $1 Million Rake Race. Read more »
CryptoLogic Limited announced Monday that its chief technology officer, Michael Starzynski, has left his position with the company. The move comes as part of CryptoLogic's effort to restructure its business to return to profitability. Read more »
Online poker players are in for a treat this weekend, as in addition to the finale of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) on Sunday, PokerStars has introduced promotions as part of its 25 billionth hand celebration. The festivities will be capped off when the milestone hand is dealt. Read more »
The champion of the 2006 WSOP Main Event, Jamie Gold, has signed with ACED Poker, which makes its home on the Merge Gaming Network. Gold triumphed over Paul Wasicka in the largest WSOP tournament ever held, a field of 8,773 players, and pocketed $12 million. Read more »
In a recent interview with Raw Vegas, Russ Hamilton refused comment on the cheating scandal that erupted on Ultimate Bet. In September, he was implicated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), the regulatory body for Ultimate Bet, as the "main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents." Read more »
This weekend marked the running of the eighth, ninth, and tenth events of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS). A heralded online poker player made waves during Event 10, as Steve "gboro780" Gross took down the 5,325 player tournament for $275,000. Read more »
Mac poker players, rejoice! Your options at the tables have gotten a little bit broader. Recently, online poker room Bodog launched an Instant Play option that allows users to play on its software in a web browser. However, the new feature is limited to one table, making multi-tabling impossible for the foreseeable future. Read more »
Recently, the websites of Kiwi Poker and Prestige Poker began forwarding to CD Poker. Poker News Daily has confirmed an eventual closure of the two rooms. Instead, the sites' parent company will focus on marketing and developing CD Poker, William Hill, and PokerRoomSchool. Read more »
In what is becoming an extremely contentious battle in the Nevada court system, professional poker player Clonie Gowen has fired the next shot at Full Tilt Poker, amending her earlier complaint to add to the list of defendants, introduce more allegations and push for an expedited discovery procedure. Read more »
Recently, the Merge Gaming Network, whose sites include Carbon Poker and Poker Nordica, announced that players will be able to receive rakeback on tournament and sit and go fees. The move follows a similar announcement by Ultimate Bet. Read more »
The legal dispute between Clonie Gowen and Full Tilt Poker heated up last week when Gowen filed an amended complaint against the online poker site. Read more »
Tuesday marked the official move of Betsafe to the Ongame Network. An e-mail sent to players on Monday outlined the changes that would take place as a result of the transition, which was scheduled to be completed by 21:00 Central European Time (CET) today. Read more »
Thirty days, two-hundred dollars, one goal in mind: Grace the cover of Bluff Magazine. The stars will be out in force for the Bluff Online Poker Challenge, which kicks off on March 1st on Lock Poker. Some of the top online poker players have already signed up, including Josh "JJProdigy" Fields and Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi. Read more »
Bad beat jackpots are a part of not only the live poker world but also of the online game. On many occasions, these jackpots can soar to over several hundred thousand dollars. Read more »
The world's largest online poker room just got a little bigger. PokerStars has signed "Seinfeld" actor Jason Alexander to become its newest ambassador. He'll join National Hockey League (NHL) legend Mats Sundin, Wimbledon tennis champion Boris Becker, and former Cy Young Award winning pitcher Orel Hershiser as faces of the site. Read more »
