2010 WORLD SERIES OF POKER BEGINS
Poker’s most anticipated event, the 2010 World Series of Poker began at the Rio in Las Vegas. This year’s WSOP footprint occupies virtually the entire convention center at the Rio, It might also be the last hurrah for the Series at its current home, given parent company Harrah’s Entertainment’s plans to sell the property to ease its corporate debt burden. Among the first event to get underway was the $50,000 Players Championship, a rotating mix of eight poker disciplines catering to the game’s elite, with 118 players signing up for this grueling five-day affair.
GERMAN AUTHORITIES CAPTURE SIXTH EPT BERLIN ROBBERY SUSPECT
A man identified only as "Mohammed Abou-C" was captured by German police shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest, in connection with the brazen robbery of the European Poker Tour’s Berlin event at the host Grand Hyatt Regency in March. "Mohammed" is the sixth person detained in
connection with the robbery, and is believed to be the person who noticed where entry fees for the event were stored and passed this information on to the armed thieves who committed the robbery. Only a tiny percentage of the roughly €242,000 grabbed by the thieves has been recovered.
2010 WSOP EUROPE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
The World Series of Poker Europe has announced its 2010 schedule for this fall’s return to London. The 2010 WSOPE will run September 14-28, 2010, with action returning to the Casino at the Empire in London’s Leicester Square. This time around, five bracelet events are scheduled, kicking off with a short-handed no-limit hold’em tourney, including a £10,000 “high rollers” event, and wrapping up with the £10,000 WSOPE main event, which begins on September 23.
ARIA OPENS NEW “IVEY ROOM”
It’s not every player who gets a poker room at a major new casino named after him, but add Phil Ivey to that short list. The new Aria Hotel and Casino, part of Las Vegas’ skyline-changing CityCenter project, opened its 24-table room last December, and kicked off its special “Ivey Room” high-stakes parlor with a special million-dollar freeroll, VIP-invite affair on May 22. The room joins other named parlors such as the famed Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, titled for Bobby Baldwin, and Benny’s (Binion) Room at Hammond Horseshoe near Chicago.
ONLINE POKER REGULATION DISCUSSED BEFORE US HOUSE PANEL
The tax revenue generated by federal regulation of online poker was the topic of debate when regulatory measures were recently debated before the powerful US House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee. Discussion focused on studies attached to a regulatory revenue measure already offered by US Rep. James McDermott (D-WA), which cites a PricewaterhouseCoopers study claiming that $72 billion in potential revenue from online gaming exists in the first decade of regulation, with even more funding able to be garnered by participating states. Debate from supporters and opponents was offered, with no immediate action taken on the measure.
TEKINTAMGAC WINS WPT SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP
The reworked World Poker Tour’s attempts to get a little more “World” into its roster of events included the recent WPT Spanish Championship at Barcelona’s Gran Casino, a venue already used for other major poker series. Germany’s Ali Tekintamgac topped 325 other players and an all-European final table to win Ð315,000, after beginning the final with a nearly 2-to-1 edge over his nearest competitors. Spain’s Roberto Santiago was second, with Sweden’s Erik Iremark third.
POKERSTARS, VENETIAN APPARENTLY SEVER TIES
Nevada state licensing difficulties and the looming June 1, 2010 “enforcement date” of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act have, according to some published reports, caused the discontinuation of the Stars-sponsored North American Poker Tour (NAPT) at the elegant Venetian in Las Vegas. This past spring’s NAPT Venetian debut drew nearly 800 players to its $5,000 buy-in tourney, but the latest developments pose a major stumbling block for the NAPT’s continuing plans in major US casinos.
»
