No, there was no collusion going on at the poker table. Actually, this story is one that's likely to make you feel all warm and cuddly inside. Aaron Pope, of Minnesota, won a seat at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monte Carlo after emerging victorious in a series of online poker tournament qualifiers at PokerStars.com. Unfortunately, Pope was mugged last month and was robbed of his wallet and passport. Not being able to obtain a replacement in time to travel to Monte Carlo for the EPT poker tournament, Pope found himself in quite a predicament.

Enter Poker Stars. In light of the unique circumstances affecting Pope's participation, the online poker site agreed to let him transfer his seat at the Grand Final to his friend Erik Loisel. Loisel was so overjoyed at getting the opportunity to play poker in Monte Carlo that he vowed to give any tournament winnings to his buddy Aaron. With a top prize of €900,000 up for grabs at the poker tournament, Loisel hopes to still give Pope a chance to emerge a winner. Needless to say, when an online poker site can bend its rules a bit in circumstances like these, everybody comes out a winner.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Friday, 10 March 2006