The Poker Blog

Free hotel room for first 5 individuals through online gateway

paddypowerpoker.com today launches an online registration and payment facility for all events in the Irish Winter Festival 2010. This gateway facilitates both individual and cardroom registrations with payment possible via credit cards, bank transfer and cheque.

paddypowerpoker.com are giving the first five players to register and pay for the Irish Masters main event via the ‘individual’ gateway a complimentary room in the Burlington Hotel for the entire weekend of the Irish Winter Festival.

Players can now register and pay for any or all events at the Irish Winter Festival, including the Super Satellite tournament scheduled for 22nd October, the Irish Masters €1,500 + €150 main event on 23rd October and all five side events taking place throughout the weekend such as the much anticipated Blind Mans Bluff event!

“We are pleased to present a secure and effortless online registration & payment facility for all Irish Winter Festival tournaments so that people can guarantee their seat in their chosen event well in advance” said Paddy Power, Communications Manager for paddypowerpoker.com. “Why not get in their first and you can enjoy complimentary accommodation in the Burlington Hotel for the festival weekend – that way you won’t miss out on all the entertainment we have lined up for each evening!”

The brand new 888poker 3D experience has landed! To celebrate the official launch of its new revolutionary 3D software on 27th July, 888poker is offering ALL players the chance to turn 8¢ into $30,000, iPads, Sony Home Cinemas and Kindles.

To go with its NEW look and NEW name 888poker has been given a complete makeover! Rewritten from scratch, the new 888poker software gives players a whole different gaming experience and is definitely something to shout about.

Here’s a taste of what’s new:

• The first web-based 3D poker experience

• Quick-Click Beginners’ Lobby

• Table Layout

• Fabulous graphics & gameplay

• Amazing Avatars

• Choose your deck

• Colour Indicators

• Personalised Lobby
Based on intensive tests and feedback from members, this upgraded version is sure to improve conversion rates, player satisfaction and overall usability, making 888poker more profitable for affiliates.

The amazing new 888poker software is available now in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Portuguese and 27th July in Russian and Italian.

888poker has also launched the brand NEW 888poker Rewards Store, where players can swap poker points for prizes such as iPods, poker accessories, cars and even holidays! Plus, if all this wasn’t enough, my.888poker.com provides a new social network for poker faces to connect off the tables.

This is the news that poker players have been waiting for, so be sure to check out the new 888Poker site now!

Qualifying online satellite tournaments start as low €1+0.10 for an estimated total prize pool of €1,000,000.

TitanPoker.com, the leading online poker room in Europe, and the official sponsor of Europe’s most exclusive live poker series, has launched a series of satellite tournaments to determine the winning players that will participate on its behalf at the ECPokerTour Vienna tournament in Austria this November.

The ECPokerTour Vienna €3,000 + €300 Main Event will be held at the Montesino Pokertainment Center in Vienna, Austria. The tournament will take place over four days from November 10 – November 14, 2010.

Players winning an ECPokerTour Vienna package at Titan Poker (value €5,500) will receive the Main Event buy-in; five night’s accommodation at the Le Meridien Hotel (including breakfast and dinner for the qualifier and guest); entry to a special players’ Welcome Party; and funds for flights and spending money.

Super Satellite tournaments are staged at Titan Poker every Sunday and Wednesday night, each awarding winning players with the ECPokerTour Vienna package. Qualifier satellite tournaments are being staged round the clock with buy-ins starting as low as €1+ €0.10.

Veteran poker players and novices alike are invited to download Titan Poker’s user-friendly poker software and participate in one of the satellites to vie for a seat at the exclusive ECPokerTour Vienna tournament.

ECPokerTour’s last major event was staged at the Gran Casino de Barcelona in March, with previous tournaments held in Malta, Salzburg and Madrid. www.titanpoker.com is the official sponsor of the ECPokerTour series, Europe’s most luxurious poker tournament circuit.

About Titanpoker.com:

Titanpoker.com is the number one online poker room in Europe and part of the iPoker Network. Titan Poker’s software is developed and maintained by Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With nearly 30,000 online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees $16,000,000 in monthly prizes, features special sit ‘n’ go tournaments with progressive jackpots as high as $100,000, and awards players with entries to major worldwide poker tournaments.

Everest Poker, one of the most important online poker websites in Europe, has announced their partnership with the French football club Olympique Lyonnais. Everest Poker joins Olympique Lyonnais, one of the leading sports teams in France, only a few weeks after obtaining the permit to operate in the newly regulated French market. The Everest Poker logo will appear on the Olympique Lyonnais jerseys for all away matches during French Ligue 1, the Championship of France. It is a partnership guided by common ambition and shared values…

Starting on August 7, the French team Olympique Lyonnais will be wearing a new jersey with the logo of the popular online poker room Everest Poker for every match played away from home. This partnership comes shortly after the sports betting website BetClic became a sponsor of Olympique Lyonnais. BetClic and Everest Poker are both part of Mangas Gaming, the leading French group for online gaming and sport bets.

The new OL jerseys were created by Adidas Lifestyle, and the design was unveiled on July 13 at Place Bellecour in Lyon, marking the launch of the new Olympique Lyonnais season. The home jersey, sponsored by BetClic, will maintain OL’s classic colours, but the new collection will be something unique: Adidas designers have studied the history of Lyon and were inspired by the link between its past and the silk industry. For their away matches, OL players will wear a crimson and gold jersey, honoring Lyon’s rich history in the gold, silver and silk trades.

Everest Poker is one of France’s favourite poker communities. More than just a gaming platform, Everest Poker shares a real passion for poker with its players and a unique sense of partnership. Everest Poker is recognized today as one of the most popular and most appreciated websites in France and in all of Europe: just like Olympique Lyonnais!

Everest Poker has recognized its passion for the game with Olympique Lyon, an ambitious, professional and unifying club which never hesitates in facing new challenges—which is a mindset that Everest Poker shares.

“Everest Poker is a community which brings together all kinds of players, from amateurs to pros. By becoming a sponsor of Olympique Lyonnais, we want to associate the sport values of the poker community with those of Lyon’s football team: playing the game responsibly and respecting their partners. Pushed by our commitment to strengthen our link with players and to gain ground in our growing market, we are confident this partnership will be a true success thanks to the joy offered by our partners’ performance,” explains Sandrine Mangia-Park, Director of Everest Poker France.

Relying on Everest Poker’s visibility among fans and supporters of the Olympique Lyonnais and football throughout France, Everest Poker and Olympique Lyonnais will take full advantage of their new partnership with further initiatives throughout the 2010-2011 season.

The third leg of the 2010 Coral.co.uk British Masters Poker Tour is in Liverpool from 9 to 11 July.

Hosted by Gala Casino Leo overlooking Liverpool’s Queens Dock, the £500+50 main event will kick off at 2pm on Saturday 10 July. The two day event is expected to have a prize pool in excess of £35,000, with the winner also securing a seat at the end-of-season play-off for £15,000 worth of Coral.co.uk sponsorship in 2011* .

There are also a £200+20 and £100+10 side events on Friday 9 and Sunday 11 respectively.

Getting your seat at the CBMPT Liverpool
Coral.co.uk is running online satellites to this event, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8:30pm. These $80 finals pay-out a guaranteed seat and expenses for every 14 runners. Players can qualify for online finals in daily $5.50 rebuy and $11 freeze-out satellites.

Gala Casino Leo is running a freeroll super-satellite on Thursday 8 July with five main event seats guaranteed. Buy-in is FREE with a £5 fee; 2,000 starting stack, two rebuys (4,000 chips) and super-add-on (6,000 chips) are available for £20.

Players can also buy-in to any event of the Liverpool CBMPT via the cash desk of Gala’s 27 casinos in the UK and Gibraltar.

The dates and venues for the 2010 CBMPT are:
• Bristol – Gala Harbourside Casino: 07 to 09 May; winner: David Harris
• Leeds – Gala Casino Leeds: 11 to 13 June; winner: Ross Johnson
• Liverpool – Gala Casino Leo : 09 to 11 July
• Nottingham – Gala Casino, Maid Marion Way: 30 July to 01 August
• Stockton-on-Tees – Gala Casino Teesside: 10 to 12 September
• Edinburgh – Gala Maybury Casino: 29 to 31 October

Liverpool CBMPT Schedule
• Friday, 9 July : £200+20 NLHE, 6pm start - one day
• Saturday, 10 July: £500+50 NLHE Main Event, 2pm start – two days
• Sunday, 11July: £100+10 NLHE, 5pm start – one day

Everest Poker Live’s “The Big Viking” Wins WSOP Event 48, One of the Most Prestigious Bracelets of the Series

“TheBigViking” — is the champion of the Event 48 ($2500 Mixed Event). The teacher from Oslo, Norway, member of the Everest Poker Live the Dream Team, won one of the most prestigious bracelets of the Series, a Mixed Event that requires the mastering of eight poker variations: Omaha, Omaha 8 or better, Razz, Stud, Stud 8 or better, 2-7 Triple Draw, Limit Hold’Em and No Limit Hold’Em.

A grueling performance by Sigurd, who started Day3 in 12th position out of the 20 players left, including some of the best all-around poker players in the world, like Bill Chen and Todd Brunson. He was given great respect by many of them and complimented several times.

Sigurd Eskeland wins $260.000 and is now ready to battle for the Main Event, where in 2008 he managed to finish Day3 as chipleader.

With this victory, the Live the Dream Team 2010 is approaching the first million dollar in winnings, a stunning accomplishment for the team of players selected by Everest Poker in January.

Sigurd’s performance follows Francesco De Vivo’s 2nd place at the EPT Copenhagen and 4th place at the 3LT Baden, Javier Martinez victory at the Spanish Poker Tour Ibiza, Tobias Wagner’s 2nd place at the same tournament, Viktoria Skilazi’s final table at the WPT Bucharest and several cashes for the other members of the team, including Fabien Perrot, Thomas Froslev, Julien Claudepierre, Leo Truche and Koen de Bakker.

CarbonPoker has announced today that actress and poker fanatic Shannon Elizabeth has signed on to represent the brand in the poker community.

Shannon will represent CarbonPoker at major poker tournaments, play regularly on the site, and be involved in the brand’s upcoming marketing campaigns.

“We’ve been on the hunt for a face for our brand who is a recognized star and also a respected member of the poker community,” says Peter Hampton, Spokesperson at CarbonPoker. “Shannon easily meets both criteria, and offers a creative edge that we’re thrilled to have on board.”

“We’re launching several promotions that will involve players playing against Shannon and getting to know her both inside and outside of poker,” Hampton said. Shannon will be posting regularly on the CarbonPoker Blog, as well as answering player questions and taking the creative lead on a series of videos for the site.

Shannon broke into mainstream film with her starring roll in the classic comedy American Pie and has worked successfully in both film and television since. In the meantime, Shannon has also emerged as a world-class poker talent. In 2007 she played her way to a third place finish at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and has also cashed at the World Series of Poker four times.

This announcement comes on the heels of a very busy couple of months for CarbonPoker. On April 15^th CarbonPoker and Merge Gaming welcomed thousands of new players to the network, and have since experienced substantial increases in action, rake, and player value. The addition of Shannon Elizabeth highlights CarbonPoker’s commitment to becoming one of the top ten poker sites by 2011.

Thomas Rolfe is celebrating a €100,000 windfall thanks to Ladbrokes Poker.

FREE entry Thomas Rolfe was celebrating after coming through a mammoth five and a half hour final table to land the Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival €100,000 first prize, last weekend.

The Nottingham-based player (alias ‘r0lfus’) plans to invest his biggest ever win in property after capturing the six-figure sum when his AQ vs. AK hit the flush to consign local favourite Emmet Gough to the runners-up spot. The four day festival attracted over 750 players.

Rolfe said: “I’m really pleased to have won this event. It’s a big stepping stone and a chance to invest in a new house.”

The 22-year-old, who won his place at Killarney in a rake race on Ladbrokespoker.com, added to his joy by securing the first Ladbrokes Poker Cruise IV package.

Satellites for the cruise are due to start in December, exclusively online at Ladbrokes Poker.

Kate McLennan, Head of Poker, said “This tournament has once again been a huge success and is a fitting place to launch the Poker Cruise. It’s nice to see familiar faces and also welcome some first-timers.

“We’re already planning next year’s Irish event, though I think it’s going to take 12 months to recover from the weekend’s festival!”

An additional package for the ship was won in the Ladbrokes qualifiers’ prize draw-selected by Boyzone’s Shane Lynch-by Laddies legend Richard Clarke. (Alias ‘KrackedKings’, formerly ‘richlizard’).

Lynch and Irish football legend Ronnie Whelan were on hand to impart their pearls of poker wisdom to proceedings at the event.

Ladbrokes Pro’s Jonas ‘Nebuchad’ Danielsson and Jon ‘Skalie’ Kalmar represented Scandinavia and UK respectively in the fun showcase tournament held on stage – with Nebu taking the prize and the bragging rights in the UK vs. Scandi vs. Irish team competition.

Multi table tournament king and recent Vegas casher ‘daddymac’ won the festival’s €300 side event and picked up €18000.

For the first time ever, sports fans have a chance to go beyond a typical athlete meet and greet or autograph session to actually play with and against 25 of the world’s greatest sports superstars. The Sports Legends Challenge is the sports fan’s ultimate fantasy featuring four days of casino gaming and golf cash prize tournaments with some of the biggest names in sports, including: Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Richard Petty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and many others. To up the ante, the event will also feature 25 of the world’s top Poker Pros such as Jamie Gold, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan and Mike Sexton, who will play with and coach event participants.

The Sports Legends Challenge announced today that it has secured mixed martial arts super stars Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture; skateboard icon Tony Hawk; and hockey legend Mark Messier to round out the list of 25 athletes who will participate.

The event is confirmed for Sept. 14 – 17, 2009 at the luxurious Atlantis Paradise Island resort and casino in the Bahamas. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants will compete in a variety of events including No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments to vie for up to $10 million in prize money.

“The Sports Legends Challenge is one of the most elite and exclusive sporting events in the world,” said Bruce Bibbero, founder and chief executive officer, Sports Legends Challenge. “There has never been an event where a select group of sports fans can cross the line from spectator to competitor in a multi-day gaming and golf experience with 25 of the biggest names in U.S. sports history. It’s simply unprecedented.”

Event participants will compete individually and with a team in a variety of events including No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments during the four-day event. The week culminates with the Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge, matching up the Sports Legends, Poker Pros and top-finishing competitors in a winner-take-all, No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em grand finale. This event will pair the top 25 finishing poker players with a Sports Legend in two-player teams, along with a Poker Pro as their coach, for a cash prize. The Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge will be televised nationally by FOX Sports Network on Nov. 26, 2009, Thanksgiving Day.

“With the addition of Liddell, Couture, Hawk and Messier, we will enhance the experience for participants and entice a whole new audience of sports fans to be part of this event,” Bibbero said. “We’ve had an unbelievable response to this first-ever event. The support from the sports, poker and fan communities reinforces our vision to turn the Sports Legends Challenge into a series of worldwide events.”

The Sports Legends Challenge also announced today that PokerNews, the world’s leading Poker Web site, has been named as the title sponsor for the organization’s ultimate sports fantasy and gaming event now known as the PokerNews Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net. PokerNews will provide unique coverage and content of this event to millions of readers across the international poker community.

Additionally, the World Series of Poker Academy will hold a special three-day academy program as part of the Sports Legends Challenge headlined by all 25 of the Poker Pros in attendance. The Poker Pros will provide strategy, tips and offer instruction to the event participants. In addition to the casino gaming, the Sports Legends Challenge also features a series of golf tournaments at the world-renowned Ocean Club Golf Course.

The sports icons participating in the event include:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Julius Erving (Dr. J)
• Bobby Hull
• Troy Aikman
• Mike Ditka
• Ozzie Smith
• Richard Petty
• Mark Messier
• Laffit Pincay
• Sugar Ray Leonard
• Fuzzy Zoeller
• Brooks Robinson
• Emmitt Smith
• Jerry West
• Gale Sayers
• Reggie Jackson
• Herschel Walker
• Kyle Petty
• Chuck Liddell
• Jim Brown
• Michael Strahan
• Tony Hawk
• Randy Couture
• Rocco Mediate
• Joe Namath

Sports fans interested in participating should visit www.sportslegendschallenge.com or call 404-869-5000 for information on how to register. Prices start at only $3,799 per person based on double occupancy. “For most sports fans, the opportunity to meet just one of these athletes is something they would remember
and talk about the rest of their lives,” Bibbero said. “We are creating an opportunity for participants to not only meet all of these athletes, but spend significant time with them playing poker, golf and hanging out for four fantastic days. There are a variety of packages available at a great value for an event of this caliber.”

The Poker Pros participating in the event include:

• Annie Duke
• Men “The Master” Nguyen
• Marsha Waggoner
• Johnny Chan
• Mark Seif
• Kathy Liebert
• Mike Sexton
• Cyndy Violette
• Chip Jett
• T.J. Cloutier
• Robert Williamson, III
• David Singer
• Jamie Gold
• Gavin Smith
• Marco Traniello
• Layne Flack
• Barbara Enright
• Karina Jett
• “Cowboy” Kenna James
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Amir Vahedi
• Robert Daily

Corporate partners for the Sports Legends Challenge include PokerNews, AbsolutePoker.net, Rovia, WorldVentures, Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, FOX Sports Radio, NTN Buzztime, Inc., VegasInsider, World Championship of Fantasy Football, The World Poker Store, Legendary Auctions, Golf Now powered by The Golf Channel, JetBlue, World Series of Poker Academy, Magellan Jet, Alchemy3, Bluff Media, World Poker Association, Playboy Golf, and Imperial Jets.

The Sports Legends Challenge is the only event of its kind that gives sports fans a chance to cross the line from spectator to competitor with the greatest Sports Legends of our time for up to $10 million in prize money, and the event is televised nationally on Fox Sports Network. The inaugural North American event will take place at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas from Sept. 14-17, 2009, with the premiere international event set to take place in London in 2010. For more information, please visit www.sportslegendschallenge.com.

PokerNews
PokerNews is the premier portal for all news, live reporting and information relating to Poker on the World Wide Web. Picked by Forbes as one of the “Best of Web” sites for Poker information, PokerNews has sites in 27 different languages and boasts involvement from many of the top players in the world. PokerNews has been the main source for live updates of poker tournaments around the globe with the goal of promoting poker as a sport to be enjoyed by all. If you need information on poker, PokerNews.com is the place to go.

AbsolutePoker.net
AbsolutePoker.net is part of the CEREUS poker network and is dedicated to providing players from around the world with a free online poker game experience that is second to none. Players worldwide can access AbsolutePoker.net online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and experience the best free multi-player game online poker has to offer. AbsolutePoker.net is committed to remaining the most trusted and best online poker experience, created by poker players for poker players.

If you are a resident of the US, join thousands of poker players across the country who are raising their voices to keep the US’ most popular game legal. On July 22, during National Poker Week, the Poker Players Alliance will present this petition to the President, asking his support to exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and for the legalization and regulation of online poker.

Your voice will be heard. Make it count.

PETITION LANGUAGE

President Obama – Poker is Not a Crime
I am a voter and a fellow poker player asking for your support of my right to play games of skill like poker on the Internet.

This issue is not lost on the American public. We recently made our desire for this liberty known through your Citizen’s Briefing Book website. Of the thousands of proposals submitted, a proposal supporting Internet poker rights was the number one issue on technology policy.

What’s most important to me is your support for my rights. Please: 1) exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and 2) license and regulate internet poker in the US. 3) Respect the rights of law-abiding Americans who love to play this great game of skill.

To register your protest, go to The Poker Petition