South Carolina Wrestles with Skill vs Chance
October 24, 2010
Posted by KaceyM in : General , 3comments
The South Carolina courts are now tasked with another gambling decision: is poker a game of skill or a game of chance? A statute written in 1802 declares all forms of gaming illegal (that is, all games with cards and/or dice), regardless if real money is at stake. Rather than stick with the literal interpretation of the law, the current administration weighs a game’s reliance on chance versus skill. In essence, the more skill-based, the more legal it becomes.
Rather than rely on a sliding scale of innocence, South Carolina has historically stated that all gaming is illegal. Only until recently has it started to change its tune, especially given the case where 25 people, several thousands of dollars in cash, a weee bit of marijuana, and the set-up of a poker tournament were discovered during a police raid in 2006. Initially found guilty by a local judge, the decision was later reversed by a circuit court judge who based his decision on the fact that the men were playing Texas Hold’Em, a game the judge considered to be a game of skill.
The case has escalated to the South Caroline Supreme Court as the Attorney General is again appealing the decision, arguing that the guilt lies not in whether or not Texas Hold’Em is a game of skill, but in the fact that the men created a “House of Gaming” when they announced the poker tournament online, charged a cover fee, and had more than 25 participants gather in one place.
We’ll keep coming back to the skill versus chance argument time and time again as courts around the nation and, arguably, above it, battle out how to make online gambling work (or not work) in the framework of our governing bodies. While South Carolina determines its stance, the rest of the country waits for the bigger verdict: whether or not to allow an online “House of Gaming” to promote a game of skill across state, country, and international borders.
For the full story, read the article, “Top SC Prosecutor: Casual Poker Games Not Illegal“.
Full Tilt Poker Announces FTOPS XVIII Series Details
October 7, 2010
Posted by KaceyM in : General , 4comments
Four years ago, FTOPS (Full Tilt Online Poker Series) came onto the scene with eight events and a prize pool of around a $1,000,000. Not a bad start, you might say. With the upcoming November FTOPS XVIII tournament boasting an astounding 34 events and over $19,000,000 in guaranteed prize money, you also might say that’s not a bad finish. At least you would, if Full Tilt had any intention of stopping (which, of course, they don’t).
Full Tilt just released the details of the November FTOPS XVIII schedule, which includes their popular Turbo and Super Turbo poker, as well as Knockouts and Shootouts. Each event is hosted by a Full Tilt Pro (to be released at a later time). You’ll also see a Two-Day Event with a prize pool of $2,000,000 and, of course, the main event, worth $3,000,000. For even more options, FTOPS XVIII will also feature seven different patent-pending Rush Poker Tournament events, startgin with $150,000 in guaranteed prize money.
Whether you gain access through any of the Full Tilt Steps Tournaments or other satellites, one thing is for sure–cash and prizes await the players who make it to the final tables. Satellite tournaments are running now for entry into FTOPS XVIII tournament events, which start Wednesday, November 10th.
PokerStars folds its cards in Washington State
October 2, 2010
Posted by KaceyM in : General , 1 comment so far
As we noted in last week’s Gambling News blog, the state of Washington upheld that it’s ban on Internet gambling is not unconstitutional. Now, just a few days later, PokerStars announced that it will no longer be accepting real money players from the Evergreen State, stating on its PokerStars News blog, “We regret this decision, which will no doubt disappoint our customers in Washington State. However, in all of the jurisdictions where we operate, we are committed to making responsible decisions that are based on a full and considered understanding of the most up-to-date legal advice.”
PokerStars also stated that, prior to the above case, it was able to operate in Washington State due to its educated understanding that the state had no jurisdiction on online poker. As this case confirms otherwise, PokerStars vows to make every reasonable effort to assist its Washington State customers with cashouts and account maintenance. They also pledge to actively monitor the situation, hopefully to reverse their decision if the case is accepted by the Supreme Court and is found to be unconstitutional.
For those of you who do not live in Washington State, we reported last week that PokerStars hosted a record number of players on its race to celebrate its 50,000,000th hand.
Still unconfirmed, there is speculations that FullTilt poker will follow PokerStars lead.
Accepts all Players, except residents of Washington
PokerStars 50 Billionth Hand Won
September 27, 2010
Posted by Staff Writer in : General , 2comments
Many people may scoff at the $.02-$.04 NL Holdem tables but not anymore. Think the micro tables don’t pay off? Ask tbvle who plays at PokerStars and you may get a different opinion.
Wednesday, Sept. 22nd, tbvle was involved in a hand at the PokerStars NL micro table. Well, not just any hand, the 50 billionth hand. The month long promotion at PokerStars was about to pay off and tbvle not only held off 5 opponents for the $26 pot but also walked away with $56,140.
For those that count success by how many BB’s you win, this one takes the cake!
This still unknown player also won an extra $50,000 earned from VIP Player Points (VPP) accumulated leading up to the milestone hand. Once it was announced the 50-billion hand was about to be dealt, the whole site was frozen allowing the approximately 220,000 players to all watch the winning hand go down.
Tblve had a pocket pair of queens hold up to win the milestone pot.
In addition the other players at the table earned $3,000 each and everyone dealt in the hand received an entry to the $5,200 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) main event on Sept. 26.
For the month, PokerStars awarded almost $1 million to poker players during this promotion.
Free Poker Calculator App for Iphone
August 19, 2010
Posted by Staff Writer in : General , 1 comment so far
LAS VEGAS, August 19, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The Web’s Most Authoritative Poker Odds Calculator Comes to the iPhone and iPod Touch – Free for Limited Time OnlyCard Player Media today announces the launch of its Card Player Poker Odds Calculator iPhone App.
The app has been developed from the most authoritative online poker odds calculator, the CardPlayer.com Poker Odds Calculator and is available, for a limited time only, for free download via the iTunes store – simply search for “Poker Odds” in the iTunes app store.
The app is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch supporting iOS4.0 or later operating systems and calculates odds for both Texas hold’em and Omaha.
Using a unique card-wheel, the app allows players to simply enter between two and nine sets of hands including flop, turn, and river cards, to instantly get the percentage chance of any given hand winning a pot.
A spokesperson for Card Player Media said, “Our online calculator has long been considered the industry-standard poker odds calculator and now we’re proud to offer it as our first iPhone app to poker players to help them settle disputes and decide the most profitable move to make in Texas hold’em and Omaha. Best of all, it’s free… for now!”
