392 entrants create a $1,200,720 prize pool.

Blake Bohn from Savage, Minn. won the 2013 Chicago Poker Classic Main Event Monday night in Hammond, Ind. pocketing $288,171. The win, which came in one of the country’s few $3,200 main events, marks the largest score of Bohn’s career.

 “It feels great. I work really hard at it,” Bohn said. “It’s really exciting to run deep. That’s why we put in so many hours, to have a victory like this.”

 Bohn had success in Hammond in the past, finishing fifth in the 2011 CPC Main Event, but his 2013 series was fruitless prior to his Main Event run. He came to the final table second-to-last in chips with 486,000 and blinds of 12,000/24,000 with a 3,000 ante. The eliminations came fast, starting with James Snyder in ninth and Ralph Massey in eighth. Bohn slowly worked his way up the pay ladder until he found himself heads-up with Shiva Dudani.

 The final hand saw Bohn lead out on a board of [Jx] [5x][2x] and Dudani move all in with [Jx][7x]. Bohn snap-called, tabling [5x][2x] for two pair and Dudani was behind. The turn and river ran out no help and Bohn was crowned champion.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has retained the Garden City Group (“GCG”) to serve as Claims Administrator to oversee the process of compensating eligible victims of the fraud committed by Full Tilt Poker against United States players.

Bharara said, "The Garden City Group brings a track record of handling the administration of some of the country’s largest and most complicated settlements. With their selection, we take a significant step forward in the process of compensating victims of the Full Tilt Poker scheme.”

Cory Waaland knocked out every single player at the most recent final table and now Waaland has his first WSOP Circuit gold ring.

The 26-year-old poker pro from Greenville, won the most recent WSOP Circuit tournament which was played at Caesars Atlantic City. He topped a big field of 495 players en route to an impressive first time victory that paid $31,928 in prize money. Known in the online poker world for his moniker – MJ 23 STYLEZ – one can see immediately see the Michael Jordan references. After he won, Waaland even performed the all-too-familiar Jordan shrug with his palms turned up, as if to say “I can do no wrong.”

Indeed, Waaland did no wrong on this night – busting every single player at the final table in a long session that lasted some nine hours. It was the culmination of a two-day competition which ended very late on Friday night inside a nearly deserted poker arena, except for a few of Waaland’s close friends, and the eventual runner up–Charlie, Xu from Mays Landing, NJ.

“This is sweet,” Waaland said. “It all went great for me tonight. It was about a perfect as it gets.”

By Wendeen H. Eolis

Unlikely collaborations as well as predictable conflicts have marked the relationship between Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Harrahs) and PokerStars (Rational Group) since the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. For the moment the collaborations seem like bygones.

The American Gaming Association, a trade group that is best known for representing the interests of commercial casinos in Nevada and almost as well known for its close ties to Caesars took the unprecedented step last week of opposing PokerStars' efforts to obtain a gaming license In New Jersey.

The Association has effectively picked up where the United States Department of Justice left off in its settlement last summer with PokerStars.   Last July, the DOJ settled its  civil claims against the Company, arising from the government's ballyhooed prosecution of online gaming. The cases  originated April 15, 2011 in  the indictment  U.S. v Scheinberg et al.

CHRISTIE SIGNS AMENDED ONLINE POKER LAW

 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently signed into law a bill approving online poker for New Jersey residents, two earlier versions of which had been vetoed upon reaching his desk. Christie had demanded minor changes to the previous bill, including larger tax levies and increased funding for problems associated with gambling addiction, changes which were quickly approved by the NJ legislature. The changes were approved by the New Jersey Assembly and Senate on 68-5 and 35-1 votes, respectively, before the bill was signed by Christie. No timetable has been set for the rolling out of NJ-authorized online poker sites, though some local political reports indicate an early 2014 debut is likely.

CALIFORNIA ONLINE POKER BILL BACK FOR ANOTHER TRY

 California online poker players are also watching state legislative happenings after a new bill seeking to authorize the creation of an intrastate online network was introduced by State Sen. Lou Correa. Several previous California efforts have failed in the past three years, due to a combination of antigambling resistance and in-fighting among perceived proponents of the plan. Correa’s new measure would give the California Gambling Control Commission the responsibility for overseeing any California-based online poker, with the bill projecting over a billion dollars in much-needed tax revenue. Correa’s proposal joins one by state Rep. Roderick Wright already under consideration.

NEVADA APPROVES INTERSTATE ONLINE POKER

By Wendeen H. Eolis

 A complicated relationship between Rational Group (PokerStars) and Caesars Entertainment has begun to reveal itself in earnest in recent weeks with an eclectic crowd of movers and shakers surrounding the players at the top of their respective pyramids.

 The two companies, with assistance from empowered supporters, have been known to deliver understated slaps back and forth over the years, but lately the protagonists are exchanging more powerful blows.

 Members of the Scheinberg family and top executives in the corporate empire of Caesars Entertainment are in the mix. So are the likes of American Gaming Association president, Frank Fahrenkopf, who will soon take his leave from his longtime position there.

 The cast of characters in recent machinations between the two companies has also included Scott Wilson, a business consultant/professional gambler with powerful connections. He was the spark that ignited a telephone call between Caesars and PokerStars -- the call that was heard around the world last week in a report by Nathan Vardi in Forbes  Magazine.

Mark Scheinberg and Mitch Garber are the key players in the sandbox

 Poker Player Newspaper has learned the identities of the "two high level officials" that were referenced without attribution in the Forbes article. They were Mitch Garber, CEO of Caesars Interactive and Mark Scheinberg, CEO of PokerStars.  

Treat yourself to the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and play in the highly anticipated Hollywood Poker Open. Make your own great memories, as you hear the voice of Mountain Mamma beckoning you to Charles Town, West Virginia. I hear the song in my head as I make travel plans. I am not alone, plenty of other players have been awaiting Hollywood Casino At Charles Town, West Virginia to take their turn, hosting the big Hollywood Poker Open. This is the first-ever Hollywood Poker Open regional event at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. Located only an hour from Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas, the player draw should be plentiful. With huge cash prizes and a seat in the national Hollywood Poker Open up for grabs, plus the interest thus far generated, expect nothing less than a huge turn-out. The dates in Charles Town are March 21st thru April 1st, 2013. It is fast upon us, and this event is loaded with opportunities for you. With an ambitious schedule, offering lots of $$$ to win, you can also win a trip to Vegas with a seat in the $500,000 Hollywood Poker Open.

by Ashley Adams

I really enjoyed the Biloxi, Mississippi poker room at the Isle Casino—an Isle of Capri property. (See my first two articles in this series for other rooms in the area). The Isle is beautiful, situated right on the beach, with beautiful seaside views everywhere. I decided to stay in town rather than drive the 90 minutes back to New Orleans. Before my return, however, I had a great playing session.

 The Isle spreads both $1 -$2 no limit and $4 - $8 limit hold’em. There were three games going while I was there. Players earn $2 an hour in comps, and (as in the other rooms in the area) pay a 10% rake, up to a maximum of $4, with a $2 drop for the many promotions, including bad beat and high hand jackpots. My $1 -$2 game was filled with regulars who can only be fairly described as “characters”. They often play together, know each others schticks, and were eager to share them with the only newcomer at the table: me!

 There was Charlie: His stack ranged from $2,000 to $4,000 during most of the session (there was no cap to the buy in). He was generally quiet, except with his betting action, which was often extremely wild and loose. He proved the wisdom of being welcoming to all when he said that though he often dropped a ton in this game, he kept coming back because of the pleasant company. To be sure, he was no pushover. I saw him shove $3,500 in chips into an $800 pot, win when his opponent folded, and then reveal an unpaired hand of 6-4. He gave a toothless smile when he did so, saying “Sometimes I have nothing”. Describing the philosophy of the game, one player said, “Some people play got’ems, some people play get’ems. We play get’ems over here”. And so they did. Many of the players loved to stay in when they were behind just to see if they could draw a winning hand. Pots were often $1,000 or larger.

Delaware Park’s 3rd annual Poker Classic will be happening this May 8-28! The three week tournament series will wrap up with a $2,500 Main event featuring a $500,000 guarantee. Check out the next issue of Poker Player Newspaper for all of the details of this event! Can’t wait till May 8? Okay, okay, you don’t have to twist my arm… you can get a taste of what is coming up in the Poker Classic’s “Sneak Preview” series, from March 13th – 20th. The complete event schedule is available on the inside front cover of this issue. The finale of this event series will be the 3rd annual 94.1WIP Bracket Challenge. The Bracket Challenge is fun, exciting, and unique event created by Delaware Park. Modeled after the NCAA March Madness Tournament, the event is a shoot out with some twists. The winner will get a $2,500 seat into the Main Event of the Poker Classic, and 2nd-10th receives a $300 Main Event Satellite entry. Best of all, the bonus round is added money! Come on out, it’s a fun event, and I promise you wont find anything like it.

You can’t drive it on the NASCAR Track at Dover Downs in Delaware, but you can drive it home. Just win the fully loaded 2013 Toyota Camry in the Crown Royal Poker Room inside Dover Downs Resort Casino on Sunday March 10th. With a 12 noon start, and a buy-in of only $199, the beauty in this picture could feature your poker face behind the wheel. In addition to the Toyota Camry as first prize, there are a nice amount of pay-outs in this tournament, with $5,000 going to second place, $3,000 for third, $2,000 for 4th, $1,000 to 5th, with 6th getting $700, 7th place $600, 8th, 9th 10th winning $400 each, 11th, 12th,13th, 14th, 15th receiving $300, then finishing up with 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th, all, receiving $200 cash each. Late entries will be accepted until 2pm. This is a huge bang for your money. And as I told you before, crazy cash action goes on here.