by Haley Hintze
Santoro Best at Foxwoods
New Yorker Daniel Santoro secured the largest cash of his career in wrapping up the World Poker Finals title as November began. Santoro’s triumph at Foxwoods was worth $449,910 and came at the expense of Marylander Christian Harder, who fell after an hours-long duel with Santoro. Third place in the 189-player tourney went to Robert Carbone, who collected $166,271, while fourth-place Steven Brackesy took home $129,816
Baumstein Fourth at EPT Amneville
New York City’s Scott Baumstein broke up an otherwise all-France finale at the recent World Poker Tour’s Amneville (France) stop, finishing in fourth after beginning the final table with the chip lead. Baumstein’s deep run still netted him a €80,640 ($113,000) payday, while Adrian Allain took down the title. Allain’s victory over the 379-player field was worth €336,133 ($471,025). Frenchmen Jordane Ouin (€180,365) and Thibaud Guenegou (€113,580) finished second and third, respectively.
Monroe Tops in Biloxi
The WSOP Circuit tour swung south at the end of October, with Georgia’s Jerry Monroe capturing top honors at the IP Biloxi (Mississippi) main event. Monroe overcame early short-stack status in his run to the title, earning $112,779 for his largest-ever cash. Second place went to Bill Phillips ($69,721), with Jacob Naquin third for $50,862.
Federal Tribal Hearing Scheduled over Online Gambling
The US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs scheduled an oversight hearing on internet gaming in mid-November, entitled “What’s at Stake for Tribes?” The pro-tribal forces remain a potent lobbying force due to their traditional role in nationwide gambling markets, and any negotiated deal over internet gaming is likely to include tribal carve-outs. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives scheduled a follow-up hearing to October’s Energy and Commerce subcommittee discussion on internet gaming. The latest hearing, titled “Internet Gaming: Regulating in an Online World,” was expected to further examine regulatory topics raised in the October session.
Huy Nguyen Takes Caesars Palace Poker Classic
Not all the poker action in early November in Las Vegas took place at the WSOP. Just across I-15 from the Rio, action wrapped up in Caesar Palace’s ongoing Poker Classic, where Huy Nguyen bested 519 other players in the series’ main event. The final obstacle between Nguyen and his $97,349 winner’s payday was Illinois native Steve Billirakis. Billirakis, a WSOP bracelet winner, cashed for $70,112, while Casey Stewart earned $54,223 for third.
‘Black Friday’ Bank Shuttered
Utah state bank officials shuttered ‘Black Friday’ financial institution SunFirst Bank in early November, after a bank audit showed SunFirst “did not have capital to continue operating in a safe and sound manner,” according to a state regulator. SunFirst’s vice chairman, John Campos, is among those under indictment for an alleged scheme to make the bank a “friendly” channel for online-poker transactions involving US players. Another Utah bank, Cache Valley, agreed to acquire most of SunFirst’s loan assets and reopen the old SunFirst branch outlets under a new name.
Nevada Hearing Furthers Online Poker Plans
Nevada legislatures continued their push to become the nexus for any US-based online poker network by expanding and amending its growing regulatory framework, designed to go into effect in the event an authorizing bill is passed. The Nevada Gaming Commission reconvened in November with topics such as player-to-player transfers and a player reserve fund guaranteed to cover the sum of all player deposits. The NGC remains under a mandate signed by Governor Brian Sandoval to complete a regulatory framework by January of 2012.
Veteran poker-industry writer/editor Haley Hintze is the author of an upcoming book on the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet online cheating scandals, to be released later this year.
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