PokerStars Hosts 100,000 Simultaneous Online Poker Players, Gives Away $1 Million to Celebrate

Online poker room PokerStars.com has recently had a landmark achievement. Less than three years after the online poker site first boasted 10,000 simultaneously-logged on poker players, PokerStars has now had a whopping 100,000 logged on at once at the site. To mark this occasion, which represents major growth for the site, PokerStars has decided to begin offering $1 million guaranteed poker tournaments on a weekly basis.

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

PartyGaming Ends an Era: Online poker CEO leaves party early

Online poker company PartyGaming unleashed something of a double-whammy today when, in addition to exceptional full -year figures, it reported that CEO Richard Segal was to leave the company. According to the company's announcement, Segal's impending departure was a matter of geographical location. Since PartyGaming floated last year, Segal has been commuting from London to the company's Gibraltar headquarters on a weekly basis. PartyGaming said that, in light of the company's surging growth, both Segal and the board concurred that “the CEO now needs to be located in Gibraltar along with all the other executive directors." Segal agreed to abdicate the upper ranks of the biggest online poker company worldwide after discussions with his family about moving to the colony came up with no deal.

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Online Poker Site Expects College Tournament to Attract Over 10,000 Students

(Press Release) Absolute Poker, the fourth largest online poker Web site in the world, announced today that it is on track to shatter last year's total number of participants for its free "Win Your Tuition" college tournament. The free Texas Hold'em tournament for students, which kicked off in late January, is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants. Each player will each take their best shot at qualifying for the May 4th main event where one lucky student will win a full semester's tuition and other great prizes. The second prize winner in the main event will win a top-notch laptop and runners-up will win an Apple iPod for their listening entertainment. Students can learn more by visiting http://www.absolutepoker.com/tuition

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Online Poker Room to Send Player on WSOP Marathon with $165K Prize Package

By now, pretty much every online poker room has seats at the World Series of Poker main event up for grabs. Whereas WSOP buy-ins once constituted a rare opportunity, today, poker sites need to proffer a bit more to turn heads. Bet365 Poker is doing its part to one-up the competition by awarding one player buy-ins to not only the WSOP main event, but also to all WSOP 2006 events with buy-ins of $10,000 or less. The only WSOP 2006 event that doesn't fit in this category is the inaugural $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event.

Monday, 27 February 2006

New Poker Rooms Rumored for Sin City

Reports have surfaced claiming that two additional Las Vegas casinos will begin featuring poker, with new poker rooms supposedly in the works. While these reports still remain to be confirmed, there is reasonable evidence that Treasure Island and O' Shea's, both located on the Strip, will be the next casinos to make way for poker.

Monday, 27 February 2006

Philanthropic Poker Pro Barry Greenstein Wins L.A. Poker Classic Invitational

The L.A. Poker Classic came to a close late last week, culminating in the star-studded Invitational tournament. More than 300 of the brightest stars of screen and felt participated in the invitation-only No-Limit freeroll poker tournament. In the end, it was Barry “Robin Hood" Greenstein who emerged victorious, outlasting pros including Phil Hellmuth, Hoyt Corkins, Scott Fischman, Daniel Negreanu, and Mike “The Mouth" Matusow, as well as celebs like Jennifer Tilly, Jason Alexander, better known as George from “Seinfeld," and Norm McDonald of “Saturday Night Live" fame.

Sunday, 26 February 2006

Online Poker Site Hosts Charity Tournament for Ailing Player

Online poker room FullTiltPoker.com is helping one of its players battle leukemia with a private charity tournament scheduled for today. Jill Sabsevitz, a player at the online poker site, was diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) two months back and is now in need of a bone marrow transplant, a procedure not paid for by her medical insurance. The well-meaning, albeit downright inappropriately-titled “Suckout on Leukemia" charity poker tournament is sponsored by the FullTiltPoker.com forum and ClintBaird.com, the website of budding poker pro Clint Baird.

Sunday, 26 February 2006

Report Estimates $60 Billion Wagered on Online Poker Sites in 2005

According to a new online poker report released by Research and Markets, a market research provider, the amount wagered at online poker sites in 2005 topped $60 billion. This is good news for online poker fans, operators, and investors who have been subjected as of late to constant naysaying by various industry “experts."

Saturday, 25 February 2006

PokerRoom.com Aims to Turn Online Poker Player into World-Class Pro with Six-Figure Endorsement Deal

The life of a poker pro, from the countless tournaments and travel perks to the product endorsements and celebrity parties, seems like a grand one. Getting there, however, is no simple feat. Consequently, PokerRoom.com is out to make going pro a little easier. Accordingly, one talented poker player will get a little help from the online poker site, with a six figure endorsement deal in the bag for the player who proves his mettle in a forthcoming poker tournament.

Saturday, 25 February 2006

Trial Version of Poker Skill Game, All-Skill Poker Tour, Launched by ThwartPoker

(Press Release) ThwartPoker Inc., the company which brought the first all-skill poker game to market, today announced the availability of a PC downloadable trial version of the game, ThwartPoker’s All-Skill Poker Tour, featuring the award-winning no limit Hold’em Blitz and 6 Card Battle stud. To preview the only poker game that can legally award prizes and cash tied to game play, visit www.thwartpoker.com/pc to download the trial and get 60 minutes of free play.

Friday, 24 February 2006

Poker Takes On Crime-Fighting Role in Florida

Poker may be the pastime of the moment, but an invaluable law enforcement tool?

Friday, 24 February 2006

Sportingbet Gets a Helping Hand From Online Poker, Cites Major Growth

Sportingbet, one of the first online gaming companies to publicly list its shares, has announced results for the second quarter of 2006, with online poker rake income having doubled this quarter. More specifically, Sportingbet's overall online poker commission rose 107 percent to $541,782 a day, compared to $261,668 in the same quarter of 2005. This achievement is indebted, in part, to a rise in the number of games played at Sportingbet's main online poker site, Paradise Poker. Accordingly, the average number of games played each day rose to 2.1 million, up 147 percent from the same quarter last year and 33 percent since the last reported quarter.

Thursday, 23 February 2006

PartyGaming Branches Out with New Integrated Platform, Melds Online Poker and Casino Options

After months of eager anticipation, online poker giant PartyGaming announced today that it has launched its integrated gaming platform, which will allow players to switch effortlessly between its poker and casino sites. Recognizing that poker, while thus far an undeniably lucrative venture, is still somewhat limited in scope, PartyGaming saw fit to open its poker offerings to casino games as well. On the new platform, users will be able to play at both Party Poker, PartyGaming's principal online poker site, and the company's new online casino, Party Casino, using a single account.

Thursday, 23 February 2006

L.A. Poker Classic Spells Bad Luck for Pros and Celebrities as Less Famous Player Takes the Win

After six grueling days, the L.A. Poker Classic has found a champion in relative unknown Alan Goehring. Although the tournament attracted the upper crust of professional poker and Hollywood alike, many of the more famous names busted out during the first two days of competition. In total, close to 700 poker enthusiasts came to Commerce Casino for the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold 'em tournament.

Wednesday, 22 February 2006

Foxwoods Readies to Open First Ever World Poker Tour-Branded Poker Room Next Month

Foxwoods Casino's new poker room, the plans for which were announced in October, 2005, is slated to open next month featuring the World Poker Tour (WPT) brand name. Already the biggest casino in the world, Foxwoods' new poker room will also make it one of the biggest card rooms worldwide. The new WPT card room will increase the number of tables in the casino by 50 percent, from the current 76 to an impressive 114.

Wednesday, 22 February 2006

PokerShare.com Lives Again: Online poker room prepares to make comeback

Online poker room PokerShare.com is getting ready to relaunch after resolving some messy issues with Excapsa, its former poker network. PokerShare.com has been defunct since November, 2005, when it was forced to close by Excapsa, which allegedly was under duress from UltimateBet.com, the network's flagship poker room. In PokerShare.com's two short months of operation, it reportedly attracted enough interest to make fellow network member UltimateBet.com uneasy regarding the potential competition.

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

Online Poker Room Titan Poker Creates Members Club

Titan Poker has launched the “Titan Poker Club," a members-only affair that offers players various benefits just for signing up. The Titan Poker Club is open to all of the site's online poker players, who can thusly qualify for monthly freeroll tournaments. In addition, players' performance in the freerolls is weighed according to a point system to help determine the site's Titan Poker Club Player of the Year for 2006. Titan Poker will also sponsor free drawings on a monthly basis, giving away a range of prizes, such as hats, t-shirts, and informative poker books.

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

Man Plays Final Hand of Poker Before Being Lured by Acquaintance to His Death

A man named Michael Brown was stabbed to death late Friday night after leaving a poker game in Syracuse, New York. At first it seemed that this was a cut-and-dry case of a mugging gone bad, but police investigations uncovered an even more sordid story in which Brown was allegedly led to his death by a “friend." Candace Williams, a woman initially thought to be an eyewitness to the stabbing, is now being charged with murder, along with two other men who are believed to have pistol-whipped and stabbed Brown in an attempt to rob him of his poker bankroll.

Monday, 20 February 2006

Charity Poker Legislation on the Table in California

Not-for-profit organizations in California may soon get to jump on the poker bandwagon if a proposed bill, which would allow charity organizations to hold poker games, successfully passes through the state legislature. It's old news that poker events provides a windfall for charitable institutions, more the any bingo game or bake sale ever could. Currently, however, poker is illegal as a means to raise money for charity in California, even though poker is a popular feature at the state's casinos and card rooms.

Monday, 20 February 2006

Party Poker Endorsement Gets Aussie Millions Runner-Up in the Rough with NCAA Golf

When university student Bobby Neary placed second in last month's Aussie Millions poker tournament, it seemed that luck was on his side. It seems, however, that Neary's lucky bout playing poker down under is having unlucky consequences regarding his golf career. Neary, a 21-year-old business major at Northern California's Sonoma State University, is now in hot water with the NCAA, which claims that certain details of his poker tournament participation violate the collegiate sports authority's standards.

Sunday, 19 February 2006

Men “The Master” Nguyen Lauded as Card Player's Player of the Year at First Ever Poker Awards Ceremony

Poker history was made last week when Card Player Magazine hosted the first ever poker awards ceremony with help from online gaming company Bodog, which produced the event. While this is not the first time that Card Player Magazine has handed out awards for outstanding performance in the world of poker, it is the first time that the magazine has organized a gala event in its honor. The ceremony was hosted by Bodog founder/CEO Calvin Ayre, the most visible exec in the online gaming industry, and “Everyone Loves Raymond"'s Brad Garret. The beneficiaries of the awards ceremony included, in addition to the privileged viewing audience, Phil Ivey, Men “The Master" Nguyen, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, and Daniel Negreanu.

Sunday, 19 February 2006

Poker All-Stars Face Off against Billionaire in Private High-Stakes Cash Games

High-stakes cash games seem to be the latest trend in poker, and Andy Beal, a billionaire renaissance business man, is certainly not going to be left out of this trend. Indeed, Beal has a regular game going with some of the top poker pros, including Johnny Chan, Doyle and Todd Brunson, Phil Ivey, Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Jennifer Harman, and Ted Forrest.

Saturday, 18 February 2006

Online Poker Network Excapsa Debuts on LSE

The London Stock Exchange's (LSE) Alternative Investment Market (AIM) continues to be the stock exchange of choice for online gaming and poker companies, with major players such as 888.com, PartyGaming, and Empire Online already listed. The latest online gaming company to join them is Excapsa, an online poker network that floated on Thursday. Excapsa stock, which trades under the ticker symbol XCP, is valued at £1.10. On its first day on the LSE, the online poker company raised more than £26 million.

Saturday, 18 February 2006

Update: Bodog poker reality TV show to air on major U.S. network

A major U.S. television network has reportedly signed on to air Bodog's poker reality TV show. The show is expected to start taping next month with a planned air date of April 15th. All-in-all, six episodes will be broadcast on consecutive Saturdays from 11-1:00 pm.

Friday, 17 February 2006

Online Poker Room Titan Poker Puts Food on the Table for College Students

(Press Release)-- Titan Poker (http://www.titanpoker.com), one of the fastest growing online poker rooms, has launched a series of tournaments geared for college students in conjunction with Campusfood (http://www.campusfood.com), the nation's leading network of restaurants, providing innovative marketing to restaurant partners and offering online menus with interactive ordering for students and local communities.

Friday, 17 February 2006

World Poker Tour Could Find Boon in Online Poker Boom

Although the World Poker Tour's (WPT) fledgling efforts at penetrating the online poker industry are just that, statistics predict that the WPT's online poker room could ultimately become the company's main money maker. Currently, WPTOnline, the WPT's online poker room, earns the company just a small fraction of its total revenue. Nevertheless, growth rates forecasted for the online poker industry in general could add up to major growth for WPTOnline as well.

Thursday, 16 February 2006

New Poker Organization Aims to Bring World's Poker Players under One Roof

Despite the fact that poker has positively mushroomed in popularity over the past few years, the industry as a whole remains quite fragmented. This stems largely from the fact that the poker community is comprised of independent players from all over the world who lack affiliation with any official headquarters or unifying organization. At least until now, that is. Further cementing poker's status as a sport, the World Federation of Poker (WFP) plans to bring together all poker players and systematize the way that the game is played worldwide.

Thursday, 16 February 2006

PartyGaming Says 'If You can't Beat 'em, Buy 'em', Ends Legal Dispute with Empire Poker Acquisition

Ending months of contention and legal imbroglio, PartyGaming has agreed to acquire Empire Online's once flagship online poker site, Empire Poker, for $250 million. Until October, 2005, Empire Poker operated as a white label version of PartyGaming's online poker room, Party Poker. Accordingly, players who signed up to play at Empire Poker would essentially be playing on Party Poker's gaming platform, and as a part of its nine-million-strong player base. In exchange for attracting additional players to the Party Poker platform, Empire Online earned a substantial chunk of the rake generated by Empire Poker players.

Wednesday, 15 February 2006

Kenny Rogers Reminds Poker Fans When to Hold 'em and Fold 'em with 25th Anniversary DVD Release

If I had a penny, just a penny, for every time I came across another poker article with the words “know when to hold 'em" or “know when to fold 'em" in its title, well, let's just say I wouldn't be here writing this article right now. Indeed, those Kenny Rogers' lyrics, the most memorable line from his legendary “The Gambler," have become permanently entrenched in poker lingo.

Wednesday, 15 February 2006

New Zealand Poker Championships Infuses Poker with Kiwi Flavor

The New Zealand Poker Championships, the country's only national poker tournament, is coming to the Christchurch Casino during the first week of April. The richest poker tournament in the country, the New Zealand Poker Championships boasts a prize pool of NZ$200,000 (~ US$134,652.23). The winner takes the largest chunk of the pot, naturally, in addition to a seat at the 2006 World Series of Poker. The New Zealand Poker Championships provides one of the only opportunities in the Southern Hemisphere to win a seat at the WSOP.

Tuesday, 14 February 2006

Doyle Brunson and Other Poker Stars Come to the Philippines for World Celebrity Poker Tournament

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) will host some of the the world's top poker players for its inaugural World Celebrity Poker tournament, scheduled for February 22. Aside from the main tournament, a cash game, tagged “The Challenge of Champions," will also be held.

Tuesday, 14 February 2006

From Online Poker Tables to the Altar: Poker playing pair meets online at Party Poker

Just in time for Valentine's Day, an online poker room has announced that it was in part responsible for the forthcoming marriage of two of its players. Party Poker, the world's biggest online poker room, can claim another accolade for being the first online poker site known to be behind a matrimonial union.

Monday, 13 February 2006

Bodog CEO Invites Poker Players to His Mansion for Poker Reality TV Show

Online gaming company Bodog and its high-profile CEO/founder, Calvin Ayre, have, over time, helped make poker much more than just a game; Bodog has worked to create an entire lifestyle surrounding poker. Ayre is getting one step closer to his goal of putting poker on the main stage with a reality poker television series in the works. The poker show, which is slated to start production in about a month, will be set in Ayre's own Costa Rica mansion, unofficially dubbed the Bodog Compound. Seeing as the poker reality show will take place in Ayre's home, it's fit that the man himself should host the series.

Monday, 13 February 2006

Poker's French Open Crowns Another European Poker Tour Winner

It took four days for Mats Iremark to defeat the rest of the 434-strong player pool in the European Poker Tour's (EPT) French Open, which took place late in the week at the Casino Barrieere de Deauville in Deauville, France. With his emergence from the the woodwork, the unknown Iremark defeated several illustrious poker pros, including Marcel “The Flying Dutchman" Luske, Ram Vaswani of the Hendon Mob, Francophone Isabelle “No Mercy" Mercier, and 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg “Fossilman" Raymer. While Mercier and Vaswani both finished in top positions, Luske was finished early on in the competition, and Raymer was the very first poker player to bust out.

Sunday, 12 February 2006

Online Poker Giant PartyGaming Expected to Pay $200m in Empire Online Settlement

Another chapter is about to close in the PartyGaming/Empire Online soap opera. Late last week, rumors began circulating that the online poker operators were close to an out-of-court settlement of their impending lawsuit, pushing the value of Empire's stock up five percent. In response to these rumors, Empire Online released a statement saying that it was indeed close to settling its legal despute with online poker giant PartyGaming. Although Empire Online refrained for offering further details regarding the settlement, stating instead that “a further announcement will be made in due course," various media sources have pinned the settlement at approximately $200 million in Empire's favor.

Sunday, 12 February 2006

Poker Nations Cup in Search of World's Top Poker Playing Country

The Poker Nations Cup is coming to Wales this week, pitting country against country in a battle of wits. The competition further pushes poker into the realm of traditional sports, which have international competitions of their own, such as the World Cup and the Davis Cup for soccer and tennis, respectively. While the $100,000 prize pool may pale to that of other international poker competitions like the WSOP, it affords the winning team bragging rights for its entire country. And that is priceless.

Saturday, 11 February 2006

Online Poker Comes to iPods with New Poker Podcast

iPod-carrying online poker players now have another way to get their poker fix on the go. A website by the name of OnlinePokerPodcast.com released its first podcast this week, available by subscription on a weekly basis. The Online Poker Podcast programming will deal specifically with Internet poker, and will include information on online poker tournaments, reviews of online poker rooms, and the assorted tip or two.

Saturday, 11 February 2006

Titan Poker Lets German, Italian, and Spanish-Speaking Online Poker Fans Play in Their Own Language

Titan Poker, a relative newcomer on the online poker scene, has recently added more language options for its international player base. Already available in English and French, Titan Poker now accommodates players in German, Italian, and Spanish as well. Titan Poker players will still be competing against users from around the world, only that now, German, Italian, and Spanish speakers will get to do so in their own languages.

Friday, 10 February 2006

Gaming Commission Gets Panties in a Twist over Topless Poker Tournaments at Las Vegas Strip Club

Sin Gentlemen's Club was slated to be the first Las Vegas venue to host topless poker tournaments, until the Nevada Gaming Commission stepped in and put the breaks on the affair. Although the topless poker tournaments were to be free to enter and devoid of cash prizes, the Commission still said that the strip club was unauthorized to host these events.

Friday, 10 February 2006

World Poker Tour Brand to Appear on 14 More Products in Near Future

(Press Release) After another record-breaking holiday season of sales, WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) has kicked off 2006 with the addition of 14 new consumer products licensees, bringing to more than 40 the total of licensees in its fast-growing stable of domestic and international product partners.

Thursday, 09 February 2006

Hawaiian Poker Open Proves that the State Boasts More Than Grass Skirts and Pineapples

Hawaii: it's not just the land of luaus and leis. The 'Aloha State' has a good measure of poker pride too. Hawaii's state poker league is gearing up for the Hawaiian Poker Open, taking place from February 26 to 28. Despite the name, the Hawaiian Poker Open will not actually be taking place in Hawaii, but rather, in Las Vegas. The Hawaiian poker tournament is coming to Binion's Gambling Hall, the legendary home of the World Series of Poker.

Thursday, 09 February 2006

WPT Aims to Outshine the Competition with Branded Poker Jewelry

The World Poker Tour (WPT) has put its name on just about everything. Sure, there are the to-be-expected chip sets and card decks, but now consumers can find the WPT brand name on a line of poker jewelry as well. The jewelry is available for purchase at online jewelry retail site JewelryCrossings.com. With its new jewelry, the WPT is covering all the bases, including Valentine's Day (which is next week, boys and girls - hint, hint...) presents. This may prove an ideal crossover gift for your poker-loving significant other.

Wednesday, 08 February 2006

Milwaukee's Best Light Awards Two Seats to WSOP in Texas Hold 'Em Challenge, Will Give Out Four More

You don't even have to be a beer drinker to take advantage of Milwaukee's Best Light's latest promotion. The light beer brand is challenging online poker players of either sex to “Bet like a man," as the promotion's website challenges, giving them a shot at winning a seat in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event. The Milwaukee's Best Light Texas Hold 'Em Challenge, which is open to U.S. residents ages 21 and over, is a free tournament series that will ultimately divvy out six seats at the WSOP. The first two of those seats have recently been awarded.

Wednesday, 08 February 2006

North Dakota Online Poker Initiative Gets Ready to Fold

In November 2005, reports surfaced that North Dakota state representative Jim Kasper had renewed the fight for online poker. Kasper's first efforts failed last year, when a bill he sponsored to legalize online poker in the state was shot down by the senate. More recently, Kasper has reportedly been wooing a number of online poker companies to help him fund a second go at proposing the initiative, which he has estimated will cost $1 million. In addition to direct contact with companies, Kasper has also spoken at trade events, seeking to gain wider support among poker industry members. Just three months have passed since Kasper's online poker efforts were reported to have been renewed, but that seems time enough for the online poker advocate to lose hope.

Tuesday, 07 February 2006

For Florida Stab Victim, Poker is a Pain in the Behind

Florida resident Dustin Danner has undoubtedly learned that, when you lose at poker, you gotta pay up. Unfortunately for him, however, it took four stab wounds to his posterior to get the message across. Danner had been playing poker with Jace Moore, who fatefully had a steak knife on hand at the game. When Danner refused to pay up for his poker losses, Moore, apparently the aggressive maniac brand of poker player, took the knife and aimed it at Danner's chest. Instead of hitting his target, however, Moore shoved the knife into Danner's backside.

Tuesday, 07 February 2006

Rapper's Challenge Poker Tournament Gets 'Props' from Snoop Dog

Bad boy poker players will be able to afford themselves a little more bling if they're skilled or lucky enough to win the forthcoming Rapper's Challenge poker tournament. The celebrity poker tournament is taking place on a casino liner sailing from the Port of Miami on May 5. Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the No-Limit Texas Hold 'em tournament boasts a prize pool of $2 million.

Monday, 06 February 2006

Paddy Power Sends Online Poker Players to Oldest, Richest Texas Hold 'em Tournament in Ireland

Irish online gaming and betting company Paddy Power announced that qualifying tournaments have started for the upcoming Irish Open. The Irish Open, the longest-standing poker tournament in Europe, is getting ready to celebrate its 25th anniversary. To celebrate, the Irish poker tournament is breaking a record- it will be the first poker tournament on Irish soil to boast a €1 million prize pool.

Monday, 06 February 2006

SEC Ropes in Texas Dolly's Online Poker Room Operator in Ongoing Investigation of DoylesRoom.com

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is turning the heat up on poker legend Doyle Brunson. Wallace Nakano, the operator of Brunson's namesake online poker room, has been subpoenaed by the SEC, but has thus far refused to testify. The SEC has subpoenaed Nakano in connection with its investigation of a dubious takeover bid issued by Brunson and other investors in the middle of last year.

Sunday, 05 February 2006

Battle of the Pros: Poker and sports stars take to the felt in celebrity poker tournament

This past Friday night, sport of the body and sport of the mind came together for “The 2006 Legends Celebrity Invitational Poker Tournament," which was held at Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort. Stars in the former category included Roger Clemens, Dan Marino, and John Elway, while celebrities sporting poker brawn included Doyle and Todd Brunson, Phil Ivey, Eric Lindgren, Barry Greenstein, Johnny Chan, and Chris Moneymaker, and more.

Sunday, 05 February 2006

Online Poker Room PokerStars.com Gives VIPs the Star Treatment

Online poker room PokerStars.com recently launched a new VIP player incentive program that was conceived specifically with poker players in mind. Instead of just dishing out run-of-the-mill cash bonuses, PokerStars is also handing out a variety of high-tech toys, exotic getaways, and the like. Players are awarded prizes through VIP Player Points they earn by playing at the site.

Saturday, 04 February 2006

European Financial Website Launches Online Poker Room

Citing an ever-growing interest in poker by its readers, Advanced Financial Network (ADVFN), a leading European stocks and shares website, has gone ahead and launched an online poker room of its own, www.advfnpoker.com. The new online poker room features the regular fare of online poker games including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, and Heads-Up poker. The site also enables live chatting among fellow poker enthusiasts.

Saturday, 04 February 2006

Poker Pro Phil Hellmuth to Shack Up Next to Paris Hilton's Penthouse Spread

The W Las Vegas, a planned hotel-casino and condominium in Las Vegas, is reportedly slated to become home to some famous neighbors: professional poker player Phil Hellmuth and professional party girl Paris Hilton. Phil Hellmuth recently won the W Las Vegas Poker Invitational, a celebrity poker tournament hosted by the residence-to-be at the Sundance Film Festival, and won a new home. Hellmuth beat a star-studded playing pool that included Dave Navarro, Anne Heche, Gina Gershon, Shannon Elizabeth, Danny and Chris Masterson, Laura Prepon, Lance Bass, DJ AM, Joe Reitman, Kevin Smith, and other illustrious celebs, in addition to poker pros such as Antonio Esfandiari, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon, and Phil Laak.

Friday, 03 February 2006

Michael Mizrachi Grinds His Way to Borgata Winter Poker Open Win

The Borgata Winter Poker Open final, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event in Atlantic City, came to a close this week with Michael “The Grinder" Mizrachi emerging victorious. On his way to #1, Mizrachi, a young and promising professional poker player, outlasted top poker pros including Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen, Eric Seidel, David Williams, and Daniel Negreanu.

Friday, 03 February 2006

The Luck of the (Northern) Irish Wins Out: Belfast poker players have money returned after bust

A Magistrates Court in Belfast ruled in favor of a group of poker players who were the victims of an aggressive five-hour police raid. Last weekend, police in Belfast raided a private poker club, taking with them £23,000. The 80 poker players at the Cavendish Club in Belfast, a group that included many reputable professionals, were ordered by police to cease their poker play. Although police justified the raid by citing the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries, and Amusements Order of 1985, the court ultimately sided with the poker players, ordering police to return the confiscated cash.

Thursday, 02 February 2006

Online Poker Players Get a Helping Hand from Wireless Poker Mouse

For die-hard online poker players, those hours clicking away in front of the computer screen can be something of an occupational hazard. Sensing an untapped market of online poker enthusiasts with carpal tunnel syndrome, Hela, a company that specializes in “corporate wellbeing solutions," has begun marketing its wireless Perific Mouse as “The Poker Mouse." Although the Perific Mouse has been on the market for a least a year and a half, Hela only just thought to turn specifically to poker players with its spiffy, aerodynamic-looking mouse.

Thursday, 02 February 2006

Poker Widens Reach of Online Poker Programming with Wi-Fi TV

Wi-Fi TV Inc., the trailblazing company that streamed the first full-length film online, is now adding poker to its offerings. Wi-Fi TV has partnered with Poker TV Network Inc., an Internet TV network devoted exclusively to poker programming, and will now begin streaming poker content straight from its website, www.Wi-FiTV.com. By broadcasting its content via Wi-Fi TV, Poker TV Network is bolstering its worldwide reach. Demonstrating that poker will have a vital presence on the site, Wi-Fi TV has given poker its very own category, distinct from gaming.

Wednesday, 01 February 2006

Poker and Hollywood Get a Little Closer with Post-Valentine's Day Awards Gala

With poker being the game du jour among throngs of celebrities, Hollywood often invades the world of poker. Now, with Card Player Magazine's upcoming inaugural Player of the Year Awards Gala, poker gets to return the favor. The awards show descends on Hollywood February 15. Men “The Master" Nguyen will be the star beneficiary, receiving recognition for his 2005 “Player of the Year" honor. Although The Master has been named player of the year by Card Player three times before, this is the first time that he will be heralded on stage and in front of a reverent audience of poker fans.

Wednesday, 01 February 2006