Poker in Paradise: Bali Woman's Poker Club aims to train world-class players

Known for its crystal waters and sandy beaches, the Indonesian island of Bali has often been called heaven on Earth. But the center of a budding women's poker community? Indeed, Bali is home to many poker playing ladies, a number of whom are part of the Bali Woman's Poker Club. The club's website, Putri-Bali.com, is half travel website, extolling the many wonders of Bali, and half poker portal, with Internet poker tips and background information.

Friday, 30 December 2005

Cigars Bust Out as Poker Sees the End of an Era

In the days of smoky back-room poker, cigars were the perfect accessory for every hard-boiled poker buff. From the stogie-chomping pros in “The Cincinnati Kid" to C.M. Coolidge's famous poker playing dogs, cigars were a integral component in any given game. The tough-guy game of yesteryear, however, has undergone something of a domestication, and with it, cigars seem to be going up in smoke, so to speak. Poker's newfound legitimacy, having become the new All-American pastime, has also translated into a change in standards. No longer considered a game of the underworld, poker- the sport, as it's often referred to today- has, for better or worse, been given a white-washing.

Thursday, 29 December 2005

Full Tilt Poker Goes All-In with Mac-Compatible Online Poker

Widening the compatibility of online poker rooms seems to have become something of a trend in poker these days. To accommodate the many players who don't play on a PC, a number of poker sites have recently launched Mac compatible online poker rooms. FullTiltPoker.com announced today that it has followed suit. Full Tilt this week launched the Beta version of its new, downloadable online poker client. The company said that much work had been put in to ensure that the software runs smoothly, and, at the time of its launch, Full Tilt reported no “noticeable glitches."

Wednesday, 28 December 2005

Online Poker Room Purple Lounge Puts Soccer Fans in the Pink with World Cup Giveaway

Online poker room Purple Lounge has just announced a promotion that will have soccer fans in the pink. With the World Cup taking place only every four years, Purple Lounge is giving poker fans a rare opportunity. Purple Lounge is further bridging the gap between poker and team sports by giving people the chance to win their way to the FIFA World Cup 2006 final taking place in Berlin this coming July.

Tuesday, 27 December 2005

Armed Off-Duty Cop Arrested in Poker Bust

Police descended on an allegedly illegal poker game in the affluent suburb of Great Falls, Virginia, arresting two people, one of whom was a police man himself. Sixty players were in attendance, each having shelled out $300 for the chance to play. The bust went down at the home of Tariq "Rick" Rahim, head honcho of VMC Satellite Inc. and avid poker player. Police claim that Rahim took a cut of the game's proceeds, which would have constituted a breach of law. Poker games are not illegal in Virginia, unless the house takes a cut.

Monday, 26 December 2005

Poker- Just Another Fleeting Fad? Say It Ain't So

Since the beginning of the poker boom, skeptics have been quick to say that this was one game that just wouldn't last. But weeks became months, and months turned into years (well, at least a few of them), and poker is still the talk of the nation, if not the world. According to an article published recently by Reuters ('Poker's lucky streak seen fading in US shops', December 22), however, the poker craze is indeed nearing its end. The evidence: waning interest in poker merchandise, poker programming and, lastly, poker stocks. It stands to reason, however, that interest is not waning; rather, that the market is changing.

Sunday, 25 December 2005

Nudie Poker Reigns- But Sex? No Thank You

Online poker is full of newbies, but did you know it was full of nudies as well? Well, it's true, at least according to PaddyPowerPoker.com, the poker wing of Irish betting company Paddy Power. Paddy Power Poker just released this interesting tidbit, along with several others, as a prelude to the official publication of its “Poker 2006: The State of Play" report next month. Accordingly, the study found that more than half of surveyed poker players saying that they had played poker in nothing but their drawers or, uh, in nothing at all.

Saturday, 24 December 2005

Poker is Back on the Table at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Joining the ranks of the Las Vegas Hilton, The Mirage and the Golden Nugget, Caesars Palace has become the latest Las Vegas joint to reinstate its poker room. Poker suffered something of a bad beat during the 1990's, a period of waning popularity for the game. This, added to the fact that poker, a game not played against the house, is considered potentially less lucrative than other games like slots, translated into a death sentence for many Las Vegas poker rooms. With poker, particularly Texas hold 'em, becoming exponentially more popular, many gaming venues have realized that poker is one again a good bet.

Friday, 23 December 2005

Online Poker Boom Gets Help from New York Transit Strike

Creeping into its third day, the New York transit strike has left around seven million people up the creek without a paddle, so to speak. Those who could walk, walked; those who managed to flag down a cab indeed did so; those who couldn't manage either apparently stayed home and played poker online. At least that's what the records are showing at a number of online poker sites.

Thursday, 22 December 2005

Poker Game Claims Five Lives in Mexican Border City

A poker game in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo became the site of a brutal shooting that claimed the lives of five players on Monday night. Residents ran for cover after hearing the shots, a sound that, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly familiar to the people in this violence-ridden town.

Wednesday, 21 December 2005

Negreanu, Hellmuth, Brunson and More Expected to Make Bluff's Poker Power 20

Bluff Magazine, the most widely published poker magazine in the U.S., is getting ready to name “The Poker Power 20," its list of the people and organizations that have made the biggest mark on poker this year. The Poker Power 20 promises not to be just another “top earners" list; rather, it's about the concepts and personal drive that are largely to thank for poker's current success.

Tuesday, 20 December 2005

Anticlimactic Poker Raid in Baltimore Ultimately Ups the Ante

Six weeks following the November 2nd raid on a Baltimore poker tournament and the subsequent release of 80 arrested patrons due to a police error, authorities have filed charges against 15 additional employees and managers of the Owl's Nest in South Baltimore. This time, however, police are making sure that the charges won't be mucked.

Monday, 19 December 2005

Update: BETandWIN acquisition talks with Ongame bear fruit; Share purchase agreement signed

Following up on last week's article, “BETandWIN Aims for Online Poker Greatness with Ongame Takeover Initiative," BETandWIN announced this weekend that it had inked a Share Purchase Agreement for a 100 percent stake in online poker solutions provider Ongame. If all goes as planned, the acquisition is expected to be completed in early 2006. The acquisition price agreed upon is 5.37 times Ongame's net revenues for the current fiscal year, or approximately €473.6 million (~$569 million) in total.

Sunday, 18 December 2005

Hollywood Moves to Vegas For Poker Party Featuring DJ AM, Johnny Chan and Chris Moneymaker

LG Electronics is tapping into the poker trend to help hype its new mobile phone, the very cryptically named “V." Tomorrow, Hollywood poker aficionados will make their way to the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the inaugural LG All-Star Poker Showdown, hosted by “it-girl"-turned-comedienne Jenny McCarthy.

Saturday, 17 December 2005

SaveMyFinger.com: An online poker publicity stunt to make even Golden Palace cringe

The race for players must be especially tight for online poker rooms these days, considering some of the desperate, absurd marketing schemes cropping up. A quintessential example of this is SaveMyFinger.com, a site that presents a do-or-die predicament involving a “high-stakes" poker game of another kind. SaveMyFinger.com is the brainchild of a person going by the name of Carl Valentine, who purports to be a machine shop worker with a fever for betting. This “fever" led to Valentine's current situation, which could end in the loss of his right pointer finger.

Friday, 16 December 2005

Poker Table Signed by Usher, Mariah Carey, Green Day, and 50 Cent to Be Auctioned on EBay

Online poker website Aces.com will be making its presence felt at this year's Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas. The site will be sponsoring goody bags filled to the brim with lavish gifts to give each celebrity presenter at the show. Also inside each luxury present will be a first-class ticket to an exclusive Super Bowl Party to be held next month on Super Bowl Sunday. The star presenters will also be asked to add their John and Jane Hancocks to an Aces.com poker table upon returning backstage.

Thursday, 15 December 2005

Online Poker Addiction Drives University Class President to Rob Bank

Proving that addiction and desperation are phenomena not reserved for any particular sector of society, Lehigh University class president Greg Hogan was allegedly driven by a poker addiction to rob a bank. Greg Hogan, who also plays second-chair cello in the Bethlehem, PA, university's orchestra, is now facing felony charges of robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. According to Hogan's lawyer, John Waldron, the Lehigh student had been playing poker online for more than a year, during which time he developed a dependency on the game. Waldron said that the bank robbery was a last resort after Hogan lost $5,000 playing poker online.

Wednesday, 14 December 2005

Poker Climbs the Ranks of Top Online Search Terms

Poker aficionados and newbies alike can rejoice because the Lycos search engine has recently provided further evidence that the poker trend in on the up-and-up. Yes, it's that time of the year again, time for “The Lycos 50," a list of the site's most popular search terms of the year. The list is a handy indication of what's on the screens of Web surfers around the globe. Confirming the status of poker in mainstream online culture, poker has made it to the top 10 for the second year in a row, joining the likes of Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Hurricane Katrina.

Tuesday, 13 December 2005

Poker Oddity of the Week: Texas hold'em as musical stylings

Just when you thought that poker was everywhere, on your television, on the radio and, of course, on your PC, you can now get poker on your stereo. And the man to bring it to you: a funk/smooth jazz artist named Joe McBride. The cover of Texas Hold'em, McBride's latest album, shows him holding a card in each hand, and flanked by a gang of bare-bellied ladies sporting cowboy hats and daisy dukes. Very 'Texas hold'em' indeed.

Monday, 12 December 2005

Opposition Presses Australian State's Government to Lower Taxes on Video Poker

Controversy has been brewing in the Australian state of New South Wales regarding the taxation of video poker profits. As video poker is very popular “down under," the local government is naturally interested in taking a piece of the pie for themselves, in the form of tax revenues. The tax is not popular with members of Clubs New South Wales, a local organization of clubs, many of which own the heavily patronized video poker machines.

Sunday, 11 December 2005

Betandwin Aims for Online Poker Greatness with Ongame Takeover Initiative

In a move that could shake up the ranks of the online poker industry, gaming company BETandWIN is reportedly in takeover negotiations with Ongame, a software provider and owner of internet poker site Pokerroom.com. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding this past week regarding the potential acquisition. If negotiations run successfully, and BETandWIN acquires Ongame's technology, as well as Pokerroom.com, BETandWIN would become one of the largest online gaming firms worldwide, second only to PartyGaming. The price of runner-up status in the online gambling business: a neat little €500 million (~$591 million).

Saturday, 10 December 2005

Texas Hold 'Em Bonus Poker Licensed to Use WSOP Brand Name

Texas Hold 'Em Bonus(TM), a game developed by Progressive Gaming International Corporation, is being released in an upgraded version boasting the World Series of Poker brand name. Texas Hold 'Em Bonus is benefiting from the WSOP brand following a licensing deal inked between Progressive Gaming International and Harrah's Licensing Company, LLC, which owns the rights to the WSOP.

Friday, 09 December 2005

Dave “The Devilfish” Ulliott Film Offers Glimpse into UK Poker Craze

The UK has officially caught poker fever. The Brits are longtime sportsbetting enthusiasts, so it's only logical that the Texas hold'em craze that shook the US would take hold on the other side of the Atlantic as well. Director John Hales is offering a glimpse into the British poker phenomenon, with a short film that features Dave “The Devilfish" Ulliott. The film, entitled “Poker Face," is shooting this week in London's Sportsman Casino.

Thursday, 08 December 2005

Daniel Negreanu Mentoring Opportunity up for Grabs for Online Poker Tournament Winner

Daniel Negreanu, one of the best known and most accessible professional poker players around, announced last night that he was in search of a protege upon whom to lay his pearls of poker wisdom. The protege search is part of a promotion launched jointly by Negreanu and online poker room www.fullcontactpoker.com.

Wednesday, 07 December 2005

DiCaprio and Brunson Strengthen the Hollywood Poker Connection with Upcoming Film

All systems are go for production on Leonardo Dicaprio's feature-length environmentalist film project, which is partly the fruit of a budding friendship and business relationship between the actor and poker legend Doyle Brunson. The documentary, which teaches about the ills of global warming, is being produced and narrated by DiCaprio himself, with financing provided in part by Brunson, on behalf of his online poker room, DoylesRoom.com.

Tuesday, 06 December 2005

Tribe Presents Case against State to Get Video Poker Clearance in South Carolina

After being denied a second bingo hall last year, the Catawba Nation of South Carolina raised the stakes when, in July, the tribe made good on its promise to sue the state for the option to manage video poker operations. As part of the continuing lawsuit, the Catawbas appeared in court this past Friday to defend their right to operate video poker, presenting their 1993 land settlement in support of their claim.

Monday, 05 December 2005

WSOP Champ Joe Hachem Moves from Down Under to the Golden State

Joe Hachem, possibly poker's biggest star today, has a small problem, and it's called location. A relative newcomer to the world of professional poker, the Australian poker player practically came out of the blue this summer when he won the 2005 WSOP championship. Since winning the WSOP, Hachem has become a mainstay on the tournament circuit. Aside from winning the 2005 WSOP main event, Hachem recently finished fifth in a WSOP circuit tournament at Bally's Paris casino. It's clear that Hachem is here to stay, but the commute from his home in Melbourne to poker HQ in Las Vegas can probably get a little rough.

Sunday, 04 December 2005

Online Poker Profits Make a Winner out of Sportingbet

Sportingbet, the group that runs online poker site Paradise Poker, has reported strong growth figures, in particular a large increase in gross revenues. Solid growth from Sportingbet will help make the future of the gaming industry as a whole appear more stable.

Friday, 02 December 2005

Retired Soccer Player Goes Pro, Poker That Is

Former professional soccer player Tony Cascarino is officially pursuing a professional career in a sport of another color, namely poker. Although in the past, Cascarino has played poker semi-professionally, even appearing on a British celebrity poker television show, the former striker is now looking to strike it rich on the felt full time.

Thursday, 01 December 2005