Irish Bookie Makes Roland De Wolfe and Phil Ivey Favourites for Barcelona and Los Angeles Tournaments

Irish bookmaker, www.paddypower.com, today announced new betting markets on two of the biggest poker tournaments in the world - The European Poker Tour Barcelona and the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker.

The Barcelona event, Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2007, is the first on the EPT circuit, and traditionally attracts many of the best players & women poker pros in the world. Last year Phil Ivey was defeated heads-up for the title by Norwegian Bjorn-Erik Glenne from a field of 480 runners.

EPT events have made superstars out of relative unknowns and last season’s winners will be trying to prove themselves with repeat performances this year. Roland De Wolfe has won both EPT and WPT titles and is the favourite to win again in Barcelona. Marty Smyth, who beat De Wolfe heads up to win the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open in April is quoted at 175-1. Download poker wallpapers.

EPT Barcelona Outright Betting*
Roland de Wolfe (EPT3 Dublin Winner) 66-1
Gavin Griffin (EPT3 Monte Carlo Grand Final Winner) 80-1
Vicky Coren (EPT3 London Winner) 150-1
Magnus Petersson (EPT3 Scandinavian Open Winner) 175-1
Andreas Hoivold (EPT3 German Open Winner) 175-1
Bjorn-Erik Glenne (EPT3 Barcelona Winner) 200-1
Thang Duc Nguyen (EPT3 Baden Classic Winner) 200-1
Peter Willers Jepsen (EPT3 Polish Open Winner) 200-1

Running almost simultaneously in the U.S. is the WPT Legends of Poker, Aug. 25 to Aug. 28, 2007. The fourth event in season six of the WPT is held in the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles and with a $10,000 buy-in it is a favourite with top U.S. professionals. This is reflected in the betting which includes most of the biggest names in the game. Play route 66 poker.

WPT Legends of Poker Outright Betting*
Phil Ivey 33-1
JC Tran 50-1
Phil Hellmuth Jr 50-1
Allen Cunningham 66-1
David ‘Chip’ Reese 80-1
Doyle Brunson 80-1
Jamie Gold 125-1

European poker has exploded in size and reputation in the last twelve months with fields to match those of the WPT. Last year the EPT Barcelona attracted a then record of 480 players. By the season finale, the Monte Carlo EPT Grand Final would attract a European record of 706 players. That record lasted only one week with the Irish Open selling out to a capacity 708 players the following weekend.

Fields and prizepools are expected to increase again this year and paddypower.com will continue to offer markets on all major local and international poker tournaments.

Poker News Source: Card Player

Salt Lake City police are investigating the robbery of a high-stakes poker game.

Police said about six to eight friends claim they were waiting to leave for a trip to Las Vegas and gathered at a home near 500 North and J Street for a few hands of poker at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

During the game, police said the victims claimed three men wearing black Halloween costumes burst in. Online poker.

"One guy has a gun, the other two have knives," Salt Lake City Police detective Jeff Bedard said Wednesday.

The robbers — whom the men described as black men wearing skeleton costumes — demanded the money. Play $500 match poker bonus.

"They just demanded the money and told them not to look at them," Bedard said.

The victims at first claimed they lost $10,000. Then they claimed they lost $19,000, police said. The three robbers fled in a van. The victims waited about 20 minutes to call police. Download poker wallpapers.

A police dog was brought to the home but was unable to find any sign of the robbers. Police said they were still investigating on Wednesday.

For more information about the poker tournaments, please visit Free Tournaments247.

Poker News Source: Desert News

Entrée to the world's biggest poker tournaments for online player

They say it takes blood, sweat and tears to make dreams come true. But for one online poker player last Sunday night, it also required a computer and an internet connection.

A Texas Hold'em player using the 'handle' CUTIEPI314 on Absolute Poker placed first in August 5th's Dream Package online poker tournament, securing a prize package that gives him a crack at over $100 million in Texas Hold'em tournament prize pool money. Download poker wallpapers.

"This is the fourth time we've awarded a prize package of this magnitude and we're just getting started," stated David Clainer, senior vice president for Absolute Poker.

The Absolute Dream Package includes seats in the planet's richest poker tournaments including a World Poker Tour event and next year's World Series of Poker; an $8 500 Aruba prize package featuring a $5 500 buy-in to the 2007 Aruba Poker Classic this September and $3 000 for travel and accommodations; a buy-in to the world's biggest televised Texas Hold'em cash game; a season's pass to Sunday's $150 000 guaranteed tourney and training with the world's best pros at WPT Bootcamp.

CUTIEPI314 won't be living out his dreams alone. He'll be joined on the poker circuit by GENTLEMAN8, THEBOMBBABY and BACKUPBOON - the first three Absolute Dream Package online winners. Women poker players.

Plans to turn another poker player's dreams into reality are already in the works. Qualifiers for the 5th Absolute Dream Package are slated to begin soon and details on the revamped package will be announced this week.

Poker News Source: Online Casinos

CryptoLogic announced yesterday it has completed an agreement to acquire a financial interest in 568 Network Inc., a developer and distributor of online casual games to the Chinese market. The deal helps CryptoLogic take another step forward into the Asian gaming market.

"Just as CryptoLogic is an e-gaming industry leader in Europe today, we aim to be a leader in Asia tomorrow," said Javaid Aziz, CryptoLogic president and CEO. Play route 66 poker.

"The stakes are rising in Asia, which has a population of almost four billion, a deap-rooted gaming culture and a fast-growing rate of Internet adoption. CryptoLogic is already a player in Asia - and this investment strengthens our hand considerably for the years to come."

The agreement is valued at $1.2 million and gives CryptoLogic the option of taking a controlling position in 568 Inc. in the future.

It also allows the software developing company to establish a new China-based venture that will develop and distribute skill-based games for the local and overseas Chinese-language markets. Games they plan to develop are mahjong, poker, online pool, puzzle challenges and other poker variants.

The games will be offered in single and multi-player options.

568 Inc. already has some games out for the Chinese market including card games "Fight Landlord" and "Za Jin Hua."

"With CryptoLogic as a partner, we gain two things that are critical to success in China: the scalability to support thousands of concurrent players, and the expertise to deliver a superior entertainment experience," said George Chen, 568 Inc. CEO.

"We're seeing early signs that we're on the right track: Since June, we've generated more than 350,000 new registered players & women poker players and are averaging more than 4,000 concurrent online players. Together, CryptoLogic and 568 Inc. have vast potential for profitable growth."

568 Inc. brings to the table proven experience and assets in the casual gaming sector as well as massively-multiplayer-online-role-playing games (MMORPG). Both of which are a rapidly growing segment of the online poker & gaming market.

"Casual games represent one of the fastest-growing segments of approved online gaming in China - and in markets around the world," said Shailesh Naik, managing director of CryptoLogic Asia-Pacific.

"Experts have positioned online casual games as the major source of revenue for the next three to five years. With 568 Inc.'s proven experience in this market, and CryptoLogic's award-winning game offering, we are in a strong position to capture our share of this exciting market." Download poker wallpapers.

Asia has been pinpointed as the next major growth region for Internet gaming - both for casual games as well as online poker and casinos. China alone has more than 135 million Internet users, ranking only second to the United States, and with a population of more than 1.3 billion, there is even larger potential there.

CryptoLogic's strategy for expansion into Asia includes:

* Offering game experiences and payment methods that are approved by local regulators
* Creating Asian games that will reflect local cultures and languages, while leveraging the company's proven ability to produce highly popular, award-winning titles.
* Using the company's exceptional capabilities in developing games of chance to benefit the company as it moves into sing- and multi-layer casual games along with MMORPGs.

Cryptologic aims to develop long-term partnerships with governments and regulatory authorities that enable citizens to enjoy online digital entertainment in a regulated environment. Along with that, the company will work with local partners to better understand players in the region and produce games they'll want to play. Play $500 match poker bonus.

"Through partnerships, acquisitions and strategic alliances, CryptoLogic will offer a complete spectrum of profitable game types (chance, skill, casual and role-playing games), across key technical platforms including PC, online, mobile and console," said the company in a press release.

Poker News Source: Poker Listings

Erica Schoenberg, Eli Elezra, and Mike Matusow Scheduled to Play August 12 at the Palms to Benefit the JCC

In this new "Strip Poker" series, Card Player covers the Las Vegas poker scene — on the Strip and around the city.

Once again, poker pros are showing that the cutthroat game essential to their livelihood can be used to benefit charity. On Aug. 12, a Celebrity Poker Shootout will take place at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas to benefit the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Southern Nevada.

Womenn poker player Erica Schoenberg, Eli Elezra, Mike Matusow, David Benyamine, Evelyn Ng, and many other pros will gather in the Key West ballroom inside the Palms at 11 a.m. to raise money and awareness for the JCC. Highly respected tournament director Matt Savage will host the event.

The recommended donation for a seat into this poker tournament is $450. Registration begins at 10 a.m., as do the complimentary VIP mixer and continental breakfast.

Also included in the JCC Poker Shootout are silent and live auctions, trophies, and prizes. The winner of the poker tournament will receive a $10,000 seat into the 2008 World Series of Poker main event. Online poker.

The JCC was founded in 1991 and is currently responsible for nearly 500 educational, social, athletic, and cultural programs in the Las Vegas area that promote Jewish values as well as contribute to the greater good of the entire Southern Nevada community. Play $500 match poker bonus.

Because the JCC runs one of the largest food pantries in Nevada that benefits all ethnicities and also coordinates services for thousands of Nevadans, the small office from which it operates from simply cannot accommodate the growing organization. The JCC is looking to have an independent facility to use, and the poker community is helping to ensure that it gets one.

For more information on this event or to make donations, contact Michael Eackman at 702-978-3295.

Poker News Source: Card Player

KillerKenny went on a rampage at this weekend's Bodog Sunday $100k Guaranteed, pocketing $25,000 for eighty-sixing the 911 other entrants in the poker tournament.

The final player to succumb to the KillerKenny's bloodbath was Aaron "Kos" Kosdrosky, also known as "Tse Tse Fly." The Kos, a cash-game specialist, didn't last long in the brief heads-up match against the final table chip leader and was sent to the fly paper $14,000 richer. Women poker.

A familiar avatar at the Bodog poker tables, KillerKenny has already amassed nine top-25 finishes on the site this year. His tournament success has come at a variety of buy-ins and includes two wins at Bodog's $30 No-Limit Hold'em event. So far this is his biggest poker tournament win on the site.

On hand for this weekend's action was last weekend's winner, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner who narrowly avoided the final table after busting out of the action in 11th place. Another Internet pro, Scott Freeman - also known as SCTrojans08 - also came to play, getting the worst of it to finish in 10th place. Play online poker.

The final table results are as follows:

Place	Player	Prize
1.	KillerKenny	$25,000
2.	Tse Tse Fly	$14,000
3.	ShaneOZOZO	$9,000
4.	L T	$6,500
5.	011jp	$5,400
6..	Joe McGuire	$4,400
7.	Whitey03	$3,400
8.	mlfoust	$2,400
9.	Chuck a Luck	$1,550

Qualifiers for the Sunday $100k Guaranteed run regularly at Bodog Poker, some of which are available for just $1. Download poker wallpapers.

Poker News Source: Poker Listings

Question:
Is playing VP worth it on day visits or is it a long run game? Can any benefit be achieved on short term play and will the session money be always eaten up for short-term play? Then it would part of diversion from slots and entertainment only for short-term play? True or false?

Are slots known to have more blanks on the first reel than the other two? Or mapped that way on the virtual reels? Or CAN be? Women poker.

Are three reels slots fading out and being replaced by video slots? Video slots there are plenty but are expensive. Even nickel 9-2(90 cents) is the more than max 3 coins a spin on a quarter slot. People may not think of this but concentrate on the game only. I play some of them but seems like people are really taken up by these slots. Because of the requirement of so many coins, it seems that the days are short for me. Play route 66 poker.

Answer:
Video online poker is definitely worth playing on a visit of any length. Most strategies have fairly high hit frequencies, so they usually give you a good amount of play for your money. Note that Jacks or Better, especially 9/6, is better for keeping you in "tray money" than Double Double Bonus and Triple Double Bonus. Those games are much more volatile and can eat up your bankroll if you don't hit the premium hands.

I suggest you get a couple of books about video poker and a program that will help you learn the right strategies to use.

The virtual reels in slots are usually laid out to have fewer blanks on the first two reels than on the third reel. The game is over once you hit a blank on the first reel and then waiting for the other reels to stop is just annoying. Download poker wallpapers.

Video slots are definitely replacing reel-spinning slots, but the reel spinners won't go away. You'll still be able to find them on the slot floor for the forseeable future.

As you point out, you have to be careful with the video slots. If you're used to playing max coin, you could be surprised to find 90 or more nickels at risk on one spin. I usually play one coin per line per spin, and rarely if ever full coin. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos.

Poker News Source: Casino City Times