Poker Player Newspaper

By Shari Geller
 
 
The World Series of Poker released its schedule for 2012 and it has the most events and widest range of buy-ins of any WSOP to date. The 2012 WSOP schedule features 61 WSOP bracelet events running from May 27 through July 16 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.  From the $500 Casino Employees’ event to the exclusive $1,000,000 buy-in tourney, the WSOP has something for every bankroll and every player.
 
New events for this year include the first-ever $1,500 NLHE re-entry event (Event 9) where players eliminated on the first day of play may re-enter the following day.   Another new event is the $5,000 Mix-Max (Event 6) which debuted at the 2011 WSOP Europe and gave Michael Mizrachi his second WSOP bracelet.  This summer, the Mix-Max will play nine-handed on Day 1, six-handed on Day 2 and heads-up from that point on.
 

by Wendeen H. Eolis

Tapie-Full Tilt Update Bulletin at High Noon:

GROUP BERNARD TAPIE EXPOSES PLAYER NAMES

Tapie counsel, Behn Dayanim has revealed to PPN the names of several high profile players who owe Full Tilt Poker millions of dollars. All but one of the players, is publicly associated with Full Tilt.  The names of these players is being withheld by PPN pending efforts to obtain further information and/or statements from the players named by Dayanim in his further advisory at noon.

Two of the well-known players who owe significant monies are in negotiations with GBT in apparent good faith efforts to to resolve their debt, according to Dayanim. He has not made these names available for publication, at this time.

By Wendeen H. Eolis

BULLETIN: TAPIE LAWYER EXPOSES FTP PRO DEBT  

This morning, Group Bernard Tapie lawyer, Behnam Dayanim acknowledged to Poker Player Newspaper that multiple hurdles will need to be overcome for the deal to acquire Full Tilt to go through. He notes one key issue is outstanding debt by players to FTP. Poker Player Newspaper has separately learned that the debt is in the range of 15 million dollars and that most of those players have made no effort to arrange for repayment. GBT has counted on these monies as real and viable assets, and does not envision having to litigate to obtain them . Information is now coming in to indicate other specific hurdles that could imperil the deal, as well.

Full Tilt Update Bulletin at High Noon:

GROUP BERNARD TAPIE EXPOSES PLAYER NAMES

by Wendeen H. Eolis

 No formal confirmations of additional investors yet, but the noise is ever louder today; Group Bernard Tapie has  lined up at least one moneyman "ready to punt."  According to several generally informed sources familiar with weeks of efforts to raise more funds, GBT has locked up a commitment with at least one and maybe two  substantial participants to nail the acquisition of the Full Tilt brand. Additional funding might not be crucial, but for Tapie's reluctance to put in more capital of his own than suits his taste.

A lawyer close to one purported investor says, "The deal should get done." He estimates the time table for a re-launch of the FTP site as before the end of the first quarter."  Another lawyer, with strong ties in the current Full Tilt brouhaha says; "The die is cast; Full Tilt is effectively out of control; the deal is now unstoppable unless Tapie fails to deliver the necessary checks to the Court."

Editorial By Stanley R. Sludikoff, Publisher

Read: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

In this segment it is my intention to take up the issue of the alleged illegal activities of poker celebrities Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, et. al. I say “alleged” because no indictments have been handed down, and everyone should be granted the supposition of innocence until proven guilty.

by Wendeen H. Eolis (Updated 01/20/12 6:58 EST)

The Parade of Unsung Departures - Updated

Special Note: This article updates the author's breaking news and follow up story about PokerStars CEO Gabi Campos ' departure plans, taking into account relevant communications--not marked confidential--between Poker Stars and the reporter.

In a personal email to this reporter one day after publication of the breaking news,  PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg confirmed "Gabi's (Campos) departure. Hours after Poker Player Newspaper broke the story, Poker Stars gave an exclusive statement to Poker News, attributed to "top officials" of the Company :

“Poker Stars announced today that Gabi Campos has decided to step down from his position as Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2012, to pursue other opportunities. The company thanks Gabi for his hard work and commitment and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors. A search for Gabi’s replacement is under way.”

by Wendeen H. Eolis

PokerStars Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Campos Woslovsky’s current whereabouts are murky; only his closest associates may know his GPS location. But the buzz emanating from the Isle of Man offices of Poker Stars is loud and clear; Gabi Campos, as he is better known within Poker Stars, has left the building-- after a reign of less than two years.

By Shari Geller
 
The president of M Resort, Anthony Marnell III, recently joined Sheldon Adelson, Chairman of the Sands Corporation, in announcing his opposition to the legalization and regulation of online poker in the United States.  In a time when the efforts towards bringing online poker back to the U.S. is under attack from the religious right, the morality police and skittish lawmakers, opposition from those within the gambling family comes as a heavy blow.
 
The interview with Marnell was conducted Nevada Newsmakers, a statewide public affairs television program, on December 13, just a few days before the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) issued a statement reversing its earlier position that the Wire Act made online poker illegal.  In the DoJ’s published opinion letter, the federal government claimed that the Wire Act did not apply to online poker. 
 

by Stanley R. Sludikoff, Publisher
[Read Part 1 Read Part 2]
 
There is no doubt that the United States of America has unclean hands in this mess. First Congress failed to protect its citizens when they knew that millions were playing poker on the internet. Instead a small minority of senators and representatives, who were seeking to legislate morality as they saw it, looked for a simple way to stop people from gambling on the internet.