SA Poker Open Declared a Huge Success By Online Poker Players
May 27, 2007
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South Africa’s Montecasino was the location of the first ever SA Poker Open drawing poker players from all over the world in a battle for the title.
SOUTH AFRICA — (PRESS RELEASE) –The inaugural SA Poker Open, held for the first time in South Africa at the luxurious Montecasino, was a raving success with various All Africa poker champs, veterans and international online qualifiers fighting it out.
PokerTime player, Ryan S from the US, won his all expenses paid trip to sunny South Africa and SA Poker seat earlier this month in the final online SA Poker Main Qualifier. After a bad beat resulted in his unexpected exit from the Tournament he transformed from a poker pro into an overwhelmed tourist.
Not only did the VIP PokerTime team show their player from the US the best party spots in South Africa but they also took him on a tour to Soweto where he ate African cuisine and visited Nelson Mandela’s house. It was, however, the African horse back safari and the lion tour that was the highlight of Ryan’s trip. “I’d definitely come back to South Africa for the next poker tournament and bring my family with”, said Ryan just before he boarded the plane for his long flight back to the US.
With 105 players taking part in the SA Poker Open the prize pool came to R2 million and the first 10 players came in the money. A Roaming television crew and a TV table caught all the action and provided close up shots of the final table that took eight hours to finish.
It was a battle between chip leader Danny K and previous All African runner-up Jaime Vilela that finished in the final showdown when Vilela’s four of a Kind crowned him the 2007 SA Poker Open Champion.
UIGEA Forces Changes To WSOP
May 21, 2007
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The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas starts in a couple weeks and while the name may be the same the rules have changed (WSOP Gets Upgrade). An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at the popular tournament.
“The WSOP has largely disengaged from online gambling for this year’s event. When it’s time to shuffle and deal for the World Series of Poker, the Las Vegas spectacle could have a new flavor. That’s because online poker companies are largely being dealt out of the popular event that’s scheduled to start June 1.”
“Last year, about half of the record 8,773 Main Event players had qualified in online tournaments, where the buy-in could be less than $100… But now the online companies – key drivers in poker’s popularity – are mostly unwelcome at the World Series because of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act…” “Ironically, Chris Moneymaker, the player who is often credited with single-handedly jump-starting poker, was a PokerStars qualifier. He earned his seat in the 2003 tournament – where he pocketed $2.5 million – by first winning a $39 Internet tournament.”
“… online companies stay away or reduce their presence, and casino company Harrah’s Entertainment, which runs the World Series, tries to distance itself from them.”
“With participation still a question mark, it’s unclear how big the top prize will be for the Main Event – otherwise known as the World Championship No-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament. Last year’s champion, Jamie Gold, won $12 million, and 873 players finished in the money. This year, Harrah’s says it’s leveling the payout schedule, with lower top prizes so most winners get more cash.”
The tournament buy-ins will start at $1000 but most of the buy-ins will be in the $1500 – $5000 range. The absence of online poker players will have a major impact on the game this year but until they crack the decks and deal the cards, the total affect won’t be known.
Everest Poker Holds Tournament Exclusively For Japanese Players
May 19, 2007
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PRWEB announces Everest Poker Japan Cup with $20,000 in prizes.
Everest Poker http://www.everestpoker.com today announced the debut of the Everest Poker Japan Cup. A series of online and live qualification events, the Everest Poker Japan Cup gives players the opportunity to compete live for a prize package worth $20,000.
“This is our first event designed exclusively for our Japanese players and we’re making very special,” said Jonathan May, Everest Poker property manager. “Starting on April 20th, we began hosting live qualifying events in the Tokyo area.”
Japanese players can participate in both the online and live qualifying events at no cost. The first online tournament for the Everest Poker Japan Cup was held on April 12th. Two online qualifiers will be held each month through the month of August.
This is our first event designed exclusively for our Japanese players and we’re making very special
“That’s when it gets interesting for our players. The 30 qualifying players each receive a $1400 prize package that includes travel and an entry fee to the final live event held on Tinian island.” May added. “The winner from this event walks away with a prize package worth $20,000 and bragging rights!”
More information about the Everest Poker Japan Cup can be found at http://www.everestpoker.com/promo/tournament/JapanCup . To register for the online qualifier, players simply log into their Everest Poker account, click on the Multi Table tournament tab, select the online tournament in which they wish to participate in and register. Players who do not win their live event tournaments will be eligible to play in a special monthly “second chance” tournament. Details on participating at these special tournaments will only be available at the live tournaments.
For more information about Everest Poker, visit http://www.everestpoker.com. Everest poker offers fully-localized software for over fifteen languages, including Japanese. Players interested in joining the poker room can download the free Everest Poker software from http://www.everestpoker.com/dload . Poker tournament schedules are available through RSS and XML feeds at http://www.everestpoker.com/tournament/current-schedule.html .
World Series of Poker Gets An Upgrade
May 14, 2007
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It’s that time again – the time that online poker players around the globe wait for, the 2007 World Series of Poker!! WSOP, in anticipation of its annual event, has made several changes they believe are for the good of the game and the players. PocketFives discusses these changes.
“One of the monumental changes the WSOP has made thus far is altering the distribution of prize money by flattening the payout structure in each of its events. Last year, Jamie Gold took home a whopping $12 million in winnings in the Main Event for first and every player at the final table was a new millionaire. Under the new distribution method, Gold would have received just over $10 million. A WSOP press release highlights the differences: “The 2006 Main Event would have paid $22,266 for 873rd through 775th places, up from $14,605 or $15,512. Places 82 through 73 would have paid $126,173, up from $66,010. First place would have paid $10,028,715, down from $12 million, while second place would have been worth $5,442,769, compared with $6,105,900.”
Gary Thompson, Director of Operations for WSOP explains “We have a Players’ Advisory Council that includes Barry Greenstein, Howard Lederer, and others. They suggested we consider flattening our payout structure. We recognize that a lot of money is taken out of the poker community and paid back to the 10% of players who cash. In the past, it was pretty top-heavy and we want to give more money back.” This means that players who grind away for hours could potentially see a much larger return on their investment. However, it also means that first prize could, in theory, be lower than it was in 2006, a public relations blow, but still considered a necessary risk: “I think there is an expectation that a certain group of people want to see the top prize rise from year to year, but the reality is that we have a responsibility to the players and we believe this is the fairest thing to do. Whether or not the top prize increases from year to year isn’t important. What is important is catering to our players.”…
“Also, for the second straight year, the 258 poker tables at the Rio will don logos from PartyPoker and Milwaukee’s Best Light, the presenting sponsor. Advertising, in general, this year is only open to online poker sites that do not solicit U.S. customers. According to Thompson, “We are not allowed to enter into business arrangements with organizations that cater to U.S. residents.” WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said the following: “We’re pleased to announce that PartyPoker has renewed its product-placement deal. It is one of a fantastic group of commercial companies we welcome back to the team.”
“…All players will begin with 20,000 chips and the blinds will start at 50/100. Levels will last two hours and there are only three Day Ones this year with an option to pick up a fourth if needed. Play will be expanded to other rooms at the Rio besides the Amazon Room to accommodate more poker players each day. The Main Event starts on July 6th and wraps up 11 days later.
The 2007 WSOP will be a series of ‘More’. More players, more cash, more excitement! And it’s just a few weeks away!
Results Are In – World Poker Tour 1st Quarter 2007 A Success
May 10, 2007
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World Poker Tour, WPT Enterprises, Inc, reports a good first quarter for 2007. In a press release they reported in part “WPT today announced financial results for the first quarter ended April 1, 2007. Highlights for the quarter include the delivery of five episodes of Season V of the World Poker Tour® (WPT) television series and the signing of a Professional Poker Tour® (PPT) Season I agreement in Finland, which represents the first executed agreement under the PartyGaming sponsorship agreement. Subsequent to the quarter end, the Company signed a new broadcast-rights agreement for WPT Season VI with GSN, The Network for Games, for the broadcast of twenty-three individual episodes. Accordingly, WPT will begin taping Season VI in May 2007, which is expected to debut on GSN in early 2008. Furthermore, the Company announced a three-year agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic in connection with the re-launch of WPT’s new online poker room and online casino. The re-launched site will now utilize CryptoLogic’s proven online gaming and poker room software platform to deliver a unique WPT look and feel only available at WorldPokerTour.com. The site will only be available for real-money play outside the United States in jurisdictions where online gaming is permitted. The re-launch of the online poker room is scheduled to occur in June 2007.
“We are excited about our prospects in 2007 and are confident in our ability to continue to successfully build the World Poker Tour brand and execute our strategic plan,” said Steve Lipscomb, President and CEO of WPT Enterprises. “In the past few weeks we have made several significant announcements which should further our success. First, is our deal with GSN to broadcast Season VI of the World Poker Tour television series, and second is our decision to partner with CryptoLogic for online gaming. The CryptoLogic deal is a positive step forward for our online gaming division as it ensures that starting with day one of our online gaming re-launch there will be ample liquidity available for our customers on a stable and proven platform. We look forward to working with CryptoLogic and plan to launch the site in June of this year.”
