Poker News: Court papers filed yesterday say at least two county sheriffs in western North Carolina accepted cash bribes to protect to an illegal gambling business. Play online poker
The papers say the information came from an accused ringleader who spoke with an undercover investigator. Read poker blogs
James Otis Henderson is 1 of several defendants charged by federal prosecutors with operating an illegal gambling business and bribery of a law enforcement official, among other charges. Play route 66 poker
The papers say Henderson told Rutherford County Sheriff Jack Conner during a videotaped conversation that other sheriffs in nearby counties were also taking bribes. Conner was the undercover investigator. Play $500 match poker bonus
North Carolina began to phase out video poker machines last year, and they became illegal July 1. When the machines were legal, operators could place a maximum of 3 machines at a single location, and the most a player could win was $10 in merchandise. Play strip poker Phil Hellmuth
Poker News: The state of Washington turned heads in June of 2006 by making Internet gambling a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Play online poker
And that was just for the players. Read poker blogs
After living with law for just over a year, gambling aficionados in Washington are beginning to fight back. Renton-based attorney Lee Rousso found the law so egregious that he's challenging it in court. Rousso, who would not say whether he continues to play poker on the Internet, says the law unfairly "makes (Internet poker players) look like criminals." Play route 66 poker
Nick Jenkins, meanwhile, was forced to shut down the wagering section of his two-week old startup, Betcha.com. While he hasn't been charged with anything, the 38-year Seattle native was told he could face up to 50 years in prison if he didn't stop users from making wagers. Play $500 match poker bonus
"Gambling involves three elements: prize, chance and consideration (entry fee, wager, or anything of value). If one of these elements is removed, it is no longer a gambling activity. For example, if you pay a fee to a play a game of chance (such as poker, blackjack, bingo, roulette, craps, slots, etc.) for a prize, it is a gambling activity. However, if you play these games for free (no entry fee or wager) it is not a gambling activity and is okay to play on the Internet." – Washington State Gambling Commission publication on Internet gambling Play Strip poker
When Betcha.com opened on June it offered a betting exchange, allowing users to make bets with each other, with Betcha.com charging a fee for the opportunity to list the bet. Jenkins contends that bets made between users on the site do not constitute gambling, since players are not obligated to pay their debts. The only drawback to welching on a bet would be negative feedback left by other users, which might make it more difficult to get other users to accept bets in the future. Play women poker Phil Hellmuth
Poker News: There are still qualifying seats available for Scandinavia's first televised high-stakes cash game. PartyPoker.com Scandinavian Poker Masters - The Game will take place in London between August 13 and 17. Play online poker
Two semi-final packages worth $11,000 are still up for grabs at Party Poker. The packages include buy-in, hotel and travel expenses. Two six-player semi-finals and cash-game final will be played in front of TV cameras in London. Read poker blogs
The two winners of the semi-finals will play against 12 of the top Scandinavian players in a high-stakes cash game called 'The Game.' Among the pros that will part take in The Game are Mats Rahmn, Patrik Antonius, Martin de Knijff and Tore Lagerborg. Play route 66 poker
The two winners of the semi-finals will get the $50,000 entry fee to 'The Game' paid by Party Poker. The other ten semi-finalists will play for their share of $20,000 in a runner-up tournament. 'The Game' has no given prize pool, but each player has to buy in for an initial $50,000. The high-stakes cash game will then continue as long as there is money in play or until it reach a set time limit. Play full tilt poker
Party Poker still arranges qualifiers to the event, which is open only for Scandinavian players. There are daily freerolls, daily qualifiers to a weekly satellite, but it is also possible to buy in directly to a weekly satellite where seats to the semi-finals are awarded to the winners. Two seats are still up for grabs at Party Poker. Play $500 match poker bonus Phil Hellmuth
Poker News: The flags said it all. The standards for the U.S., England, South Africa, Canada and Denmark were waved proudly in the stands as fans stood in solidarity with their players at the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. Add in the birth counties of three other players - Laos, Russian and Vietnam - and the WSOP had its diverse Main Event final table ever. Play online poker
The international flair at the final table was a microcosm of the entire WSOP. Although U.S.-born players still dominate WSO Poker Tournament fields, more international players than ever competed in 2007. More than 27 % of the field starting Day 2 action came from outside the U.S. And several left the Series as rising superstars. Read poker blogs
Russia's Alexander Kravchenko won his first WSO Poker Tournament bracelet and finished fourth in the Main Event. His more than $2 million in 2007 WSOP winnings (six total cashes) vaulted him to the top of Russia's all-time money list. Play route 66 poker
Same goes for Germany's Katja Thater. Already a star in her country because of her performances on the European Poker Tour and her Pokerstars endorsement deal, Thater became the first woman to win an open-WSOP event since 2004. She was also a favorite of the ESPN camera crews with her kind smile and her shiny new bracelet. Play $500 match poker bonus
"I can't really wear my pajamas to the supermarket anymore," Thater said. "People recognize me (in Germany) now and I sign a lot of autographs." Play full tilt poker
But perhaps more important to the WSOP's growth is the influx of International players looking to become their country's next big star. Play women poker Phil Helmuth
As previously reported, Craig (38) of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, travelled to Las Vegas to compete in the World Series of Poker championships. Read poker blogs
And out of 6,300 entrants, Mr Edwards came in 282nd, which netted him 45,000 - the equivalent of £22,500. Play route 66 poker
He said: "I was really pleased to win that much. The winner of the tournament won 8.2-million and there is no other sport in the world where you can win that sort of money. Play $500 match poker bonus
"Taking part in the tournament was probably the greatest experience of my life. Play full tilt poker
"It was so intense and the pressure was unbelievable. Play women poker players
"I lost on my fourth day of play after playing for about 12 or 13 hours each day before that. Play full tilt poker
"At the end of each day, I was exhausted and it was very difficult to sleep." Play poker tournaments Phil Hellmuth
Poker News: With the revelation that Ultimate Bet "poker brat" Phil Hellmuth and Professional Wrestler Randy Savage, not to mention everyone's favorite television psychic Miss Cleo, will be joining the seventh season of VH1's hit The Surreal Life, the show could receive its highest ratings ever. Play online poker
Gambling911.com has registered an unbelievable number of inquiries related to our initial report, confirmed by both Phil Hellmuth and Randy Savage. Miss Cleo has not yet revealed what's in her crystal ball. Read poker blogs
That story during Thursday alone received several thousand reads. Play full tilt poker
"The news received some few dozen pickups, most notably from Fark," disclosed Gambling911.com Senior Editor, Payton O'Brien. Play route 66 poker
The Surreal Life has been receiving plenty of news in recent weeks with the revelation that Season 3 cast member Tammy Faye Messner had dropped down to 60 pounds due to her bout with inoperative lung cancer. The televangelist appeared in a frail state on Thursday night's edition of Larry King Live. The episode was especially uplifting and Faye Messner, despite being in tremendous pain, kept her sense of humor. Tammy Faye appeared along side Vanilla Ice and porn star Ron Jeremy in one of the most memorable seasons to date of the Surreal Life. Play $500 match poker bonus
But Season 7 could draw even larger audience numbers. Play Strip Poker Phil Hellmuth
Poker News: Tuan Lam threw all his chips on the table when he decided to board the boat that took him away from his native Vietnam village 20 years ago. Play online poker
A penniless teenager, Mr. Lam left all his relatives behind and arrived in Canada with no postsecondary education, one of thousands of “boat people” who fled the Vietnamese Communist regime. Read poker blogs
Wednesday morning, Mr. Lam again threw all his chips on the table – this time in a Las Vegas hotel. Play $500 match poker bonus
And although he lost them all at 7 a.m. on the last card of a hand that could have gone either way, he came in second at the World Series of Poker and left the table $4.84-million (U.S.) richer. Play route 66 poker “I've been through a rough life,” he told The Globe and Mail Wednesday in an interview from Las Vegas. Play full tilt poker
“I feel very happy to have won this kind of money.” Women poker
A proud Canadian, Mr. Lam waved the Maple Leaf after he rose above more than 6,358 contestants from around the world, who paid $10,000 each to compete in the world's largest poker tournament. Phil Hellmuth
