The Poker Blog

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

DoylesRoom players will be making a splash at the inaugural $1,000,000 English Poker Open this September 15th to 17th, 2009.

A huge prize pool combined with a maximum of 270 players will draw poker’s biggest names from around the globe. The $5,300 Main Event at host casino Dusk Till Dawn kicks off at 2pm with a starting stack of 10,000. In addition to taking in Nottingham’s local flavors there will be even more poker, with a number of side events including Event 2, a £560 NL tourney and a £280 NL Event 3.

Win your seat at DoylesRoom and you’ll receive a $7,000 prize package including:

• $5,000 + $300 USD English Poker Open main event buy in.
• $1,700 for travel and accommodations.
• DoylesRoom Event Gear.
• Personal introduction and photos with Doyle Brunson.
• Autographed edition of Super System 1 and 2.

Satellites Running Now

Win your $7,000 English Poker Open prize package for as little as $4, up to August 30th. Their first official qualifier was Sunday, July 5th.

Register from the Game Lobby

Tournaments > Events > ENGLISH POKER OPEN

Only poker site endorsed by legend Doyle Brunson continues major overhaul with player focused website design.

Just in time for the Main Event of the world’s largest and most prestigious poker tournament, DoylesRoom.com has just launched its brand new website, an online poker information destination that puts the only site endorsed by poker legend Doyle Brunson in a class of its own.

“Our new website is cleaner, more accessible, and simply a joy to use for poker players looking to play the greatest game in the world at a site that keeps changing for the better,” noted Will Griffiths, VP of Global Marketing for DoylesRoom.com. “These customer focused changes are only the beginning of what serious players can expect in the weeks and months ahead at DoylesRoom.”

The new DoylesRoom.com website features a slick, modern interface designed to showcase new promotions and get players in the game as quickly as possible, and gone is the clutter that continues to plague several competing online poker destinations.

Upon arriving at DoylesRoom.com, players are greeted by large icons that highlight each promotion in a refreshing way unseen anywhere else. A new logo and color scheme are also included in the visual changes that players familiar with the online poker site will immediately notice.

But it’s not entirely about good looks. The new DoylesRoom.com now features more games and guarantees than ever before, a return of Power Poker, and double Turbo Gold Cards for a month.

While Doyle Brunson is a legend in the pre-online poker world, he remains on top of his game in the online arena, nurturing new players and helping to bridge the gap between their success at the online poker tables and bricks-and-mortar tournaments.

DoylesRoom.com celebrated the new website launch along with Doyle Brunson’s long list of achievements on July 2nd at its WSOP Main Event kickoff party. The event took place at Blush Night Club, located inside Wynn, Las Vegas.

The new DoylesRoom.com website is now live at www.DoylesRoom.com.

Tom MacDonald has been crowned Leeds champion in the second event of the 2009 Coral.co.uk British Masters Poker Tour.

Tom, an 18-year-old student from Hull, beat 93 other players to take the title, the first prize of £14,300 and a seat at the season final play-off for the coveted Coral.co.uk sponsorship deal in 2010.

Outlasting a final table that included tour regulars Eddie Lundon (2^nd in Edinburgh) and Jamie Coonan (qualified online), Tom was heads-up against Jamie Sykes with a 3:1 chip lead; it was over in just 30 minutes when 10h fell on the river and made Tom’s flush against Jamie’s two pair, giving us our second champion of the tour.

Asked how he felt after the presentation, Tom said: “Oh, it’s great! I’m glad that I won – it’s good to have a tournament win on the British live poker scene. I thought that it was well run and it started on time and I thought that the structure was really good.”

Next stop for Tom, who despite a young age has already chalked up £46,000 in career earnings, is University, but he intends to keep up his appearances at British Masters events; “I’m going to Newcastle University in September to study maths and economics. I learned to play online, and I usually prefer to play online but I’ll play in the other legs now as they’re not too far away.”

Coral.co.uk’s head of poker, Mark O’Donnell, said: “Tom played well throughout and thoroughly deserved his win. He’s only 18 so I think we’ll see plenty more of him.”

Mark added: “That’s the second seat at the end of year play-off [for the 12010 Coral.co.uk sponsorship] sorted and there are six remaining so everyone has got a shot at it.” *

The total prize money for the weekend’s three events was £70,900, with full details of finishing positions and prizes outlined below.

The next event on the tour is Teesside, 24-26 July, at the Gala Casino Teesside. Online qualification is available on  www.eurobet.com.

Coral.co.uk British Masters Poker Tour, Leeds 19-21 June 2009 results:

20-21 June 2009: £500+50 NLHE Main Event Freeze-out

Entrants: 94; Total prize pool: £48,000

19 June 2009: £200+20 NLHE Freeze-out

Entrants: 75; Total prize pool: £15,000

21 June 2009: £100+10 NLHE Freeze-out

Entrants: 79; Total prize pool: £7,900

* The End-of-season play-off is a live 8-seater event, comprising the winners of the six 2009 Coral.co.uk British Masters Poker Tour events, the top money winner on the 2009 tour, and the highest online points scorer (points are awarded for finishing position in CBMPT online finals on www.eurobet.com. The winner of the play-off will receive a £10,000 poker sponsorship package for 2010 from Coral.co.uk.

The dates and venues for the 2009 CBMPT are as follows:

·         Edinburgh – Gala Maybury Casino: May 15 to 17

·         Leeds – Gala Casino Leeds: June 19 to 21

·         Stockton-on-Tees – Gala Casino Teesside: July 24 to 26

·         Nottingham – Gala Casino Maid Marion Way: August 14 to 16

·         Liverpool – Gala Leo Casino: September 18 to 20

·         Bristol – Gala Harbourside Casino: October 23 to 25

As the official sponsor of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), Everest Poker has chosen a fitting time to launch a new, redesigned website. Just as WSOP fever is heating up, with media coverage to be found everywhere, Everest has rolled out a new, “player-focused” website redesign, created to maximize its brand presence and make the Everest experience more satisfying to poker players.

The new site’s mission statement, “Passionate About Your Game”, emphasizes the fact that the company is run by, and for, poker enthusiasts, giving it an advantage in the competitive online poker marketplace.

The site’s navigation has also been reconfigured to make it easier for players to find their way around. The latest offers and promotions will be easier to find; and a more prominent community section has been added to offer more transparency on Everest’s exclusive events and live action.

“We want our players to be able to choose and find their favorite games with ease as well as highlight the differences we offer; namely exclusive live tournaments, a genuine poker community or simply the additional financial gains available,” commented Sandrine Mangia-Park, Everest Poker Director.

Click to check out Everest Poker’s new site.

Over €100,000 in packages to be won

Qualification has started!!

You’ve seen them on TV and read their blogs but not everyone has the opportunity to become a poker professional. However that may all change - if you play your cards right you could become the next big name in the world of poker courtesy of Paddy Power Poker.

In their new Poker Pro promotion, Paddy Power Poker are giving all players the chance to live the life of a Poker professional for a year with €100,000 in packages up for grabs - see www.paddypowerpokerpro.com for further details. Whether you are a ‘green behind the ears’ beginner or an advanced player, you could be jetting to cities such as London, Prague, Dublin & Monte Carlo and pitting your wits against some of the world’s leading professionals.

Your qualification for Paddy Power Poker Pro starts today - make sure to book your seat at the final table (which will be broadcast live!) and get in line to take down the €60,000 top prize by checking out www.paddypowerpokerpro.com

We recently announced that Paddy Power are offering players the chance to become a poker pro. We are pleased to give further details below.

You’ve seen them on TV and read their blogs but not everyone has the opportunity to become a poker professional. However that may all change - if you play your cards right you could become the next big name in the world of poker courtesy of Paddy Power Poker.

In their new Poker Pro promotion, Paddy Power Poker are giving all players the chance to live the life of a Poker professional for a year with €100,000 in packages up for grabs – see www.paddypowerpokerpro.com for further details. Whether you are a ‘green behind the ears’ beginner or an advanced player, you could be jetting to cities such as London, Prague, Dublin & Monte Carlo and pitting your wits against some of the world’s leading professionals.

Your qualification for Paddy Power Poker Pro starts today - make sure to book your seat at the final table (which will be broadcast live!) and get in line to take down the €60K top prize by checking out www.paddypowerpokerpro.com

What is ‘Paddy Power Poker Pro’?

Ever happy to create a buzz in the poker world, paddypowerpoker.com has launched its ‘Paddy Power Poker Pro’ promotion www.paddypowerpokerpro.com , which will award a package worth €60,000 ($80,000) to one lucky player and €100,000 ($135,000) in prize packages in total. 

The mechanics of Paddy Power Poker are easy to understand; if you hold the rank of General (Level 6) in paddypowerpoker.com’s C*A*S*H VIP programme on October 1^st, you will be eligible to play in an exclusive freeroll tournament with the €60,000 Poker Pro package going to the winner.  

The prizes don’t stop there though because if you hold the ranks of Colonel (Level 5) or Major (Level 4) on October 1^st, you will be eligible to play in exclusive tournaments offering €20,000 and €10,000 packages for the winners.  All paddypowerpoker.com players are automatically enrolled in the C*A*S*H programme, so everyone is in with a shot – how far you get in your efforts to become number 1 is up to you.

In addition to having the chance to capture the top prize, players will also be awarded the standard bonuses (which are in excess of $500 a month for players at General level) available in the C*A*S*H VIP programme, so everyone will be a winner!   

In total, paddypowerpoker.com is ponying up over €100,000 for Paddy Power Poker Pro, with players contributing not a thing!

Tell me more about the €60,000…

The top dog who wins the main Paddy Power Poker Pro tournament will walk away with a package worth €60,000.  This is made up of a cool €30,000 in cash and €30,000 in entries and expenses for live tournaments.  The winning player will be expected to play in the Irish Open 2010, but beyond that the live events attended with be agreed upon in consultation with paddypowerpoker.com.  This could be your opportunity to play in a few GUKPTs, the Masters Classic in Amsterdam and an EPT, with all expenses paid for and living large as a poker professional!

How Do I Enter?

Simply visit www.paddypowerpokerpro.com, set up an account and climb the C*A*S*H ranks (earning bigger and bigger bonuses as you progress). When you hold the rank of General on October 1^st, you will be in with a great chance of snagging the €60,000 top prize; however, if you don’t make it to General there will €40K of packages up for grabs at all other levels so make sure you’re in it to win it!

All play for real-money stakes will be counted when determining your VIP level, so you can shoot for the top while sitting on a cash table, grinding half a dozen Single Table Tournaments or outlasting the masses in one of the large guaranteed prizepool tournaments.

Players’ VIP level is calculated at the start of each month using the previous three months’ points tally, so paddypowerpoker.com will be looking at the months of July, August and September when the day of reckoning arrives.  Remember that every player at paddypowerpoker.com is part of the C*A*S*H army and it doesn’t take a huge increase in play to move up VIP levels; check out www.paddypowerpoker.com/freechips/cash.php for full details.

Find out more

Visit the official Paddy Power Poker Pro website.

888.com have announced the launch of their eagerly anticipated Pacific Poker Rewards Program, an industry ground breaking loyalty scheme which ultimately earns 888.com players substantial cash backs every single time they play a hand at multi award winning Pacific Poker.

888.com clients automatically receive these new reward points when they play any money game on the site, so there is no need for customers to fill in any forms or even to apply for the Pacific Poker Rewards Program – players just visit the site, log in and play their usual games – but now every hand is worth more, as Itai Pazner, 888 Senior Vice President regions explains:

“Every time a player plays a poker hand at Pacific Poker they are earning reward points which can be exchanged for cash. The more a player plays, the more reward points he earns and ultimately the bigger cash back he receives. Now every single hand is literally  worth more than it was before.”

Once customers finish playing their hand, 888 automatically credits their account with rewards points. Once a client has reached a minimum of $10* they are free to withdraw that amount into their actual bankroll, and ultimately into their bank account!

Rewards points can also be used to enter many of the daily and weekly poker tournaments at Pacific Poker, and before long Pacific Poker players will be able to exchange their rewards points for merchandise such as iPods or high definition flat screen televisions at the soon to launched Pacific Poker online shop.

888 players will also be placed into new status groups; which groups players are placed into depends on how much they play with Pacific Poker. There are six statuses to climb in the Pacific Poker Rewards Program beginning at Bronze and moving onto Silver, Gold, Platinum, VIP and VIP Diamond The higher the status group the more reward points are earned – for example, when a player reaches the Gold Status he receives 4.5 reward points for every status point he collects. Once in Platinum status the same player will earn 9 reward points for every status point. The moment you earn enough Status Points, you move up to the next monthly status, no matter if it is in the beginning, middle, or end of the month. You keep the same status from that day on until the end of the next calendar month. For example, if you move up to Silver on May 15th, your status remains the same until June 30th.

As well as earning more reward points for the higher the status a player is, there are also special poker events, exclusive promotions, complementary gifts, and free roll events only available to those within each stratum.

888 players will be able to see how many status points and reward points they have at any given moment, and in addition they will be able to track their status points accumulation by viewing the Status Progress Bar at the actual poker tables. The new Rewards Program supersedes the old Frequent Player Points scheme.