update regarding #Everleaf Bad Beat Guard tables

A While ago I posted a blog about the Bad Beat Guard tables on the Everleaf network that were supposed to be implemented and this indeed has already taken place and you can find them in the software client if you order all tables by name. They all start with BadBeatGuard and thus should be easy to identify:

The screenshot is from the Luvin Poker lobby and below you can also find the official Terms & Conditions for this unique feature. It has not been advertised heavily yet and the traffic is not huge yet, but when people get together on these tables, the action is quite sick.

Bad Beat Guard Terms and Conditions:

• Not all tables on our site are Bad Beats Guard Poker* tables.  Texas Hold'em games featuring Bad Beats Guard * will be noted with the description " Bad Beats Guard " followed by the posted Bad Beat Cutoff % (e.g. XXI - Bad Beats Guard @ 70%).
• Standard ring-game and tournament rules apply while playing Bad Beats Guard Poker* games.  The rules of play do not change; only pot distribution is occasionally modified to refund players if a qualifying Bad Beat occurs.
• If you take a qualifying Bad Beat in a main or side pot, you’ll be refunded the entire wager you committed to that pot.  However, this does not necessarily mean you’ll be refunded the entire wager you committed to every pot that hand.  Each main or side pot is evaluated separately for qualifying Bad Beats to ensure required conditions are satisfied and pots are distributed appropriately. 
• The calculation of win probability includes the hole cards of players who contributed to the contested pot and still remain at the showdown, as well as the community cards shown at the point of the hand when the relevant All-In wager was made for that pot. 
• The calculation of win probability does NOT include the cards of players who folded in the hand. This is true even if a player called the All-In wager in the pot, but folded in a later round of betting for another side pot.
• The calculation of win probability includes the probability of winning by a tie.  Therefore, a player with 64.74% probability to win outright and 5.65% probability to win by tie, will show a win probably of 70.39%.
• The Bad Beat Cutoff % (BBC%) is a distinct percent (i.e., 70.0%) set prior to play commencing, which acts as a hurdle percentage rate upon which your win probability must exceed in order to qualify for a Bad Beat while playing Bad Beats Guard *.  The BBC% of each game can be found in the table or tournament description (e.g., @ 70.0%). 
• In order to qualify for the Bad Beat, your win probability when rounded at 2 decimal places must exceed the BBC%.  Therefore, if the BBC% is set at 65.0%, then a player with win probability of 64.99% or even 65.00% would NOT qualify.  
• If there are two or more hands that qualify for a Bad Beat in the same pot (due to probability of a tie), then each player would be refunded the entire wager they committed to that pot, effectively overturning both Bad Beats.  The high hand is then awarded the remainder of the pot. 
• A player receiving disconnect-protection is considered to be “technically all-in” for Bad Beat qualification purposes.
• LuvinPoker does not tolerate collusion. All players must act independently and not reveal their hands to other players, nor tell them how to act.  Failure to abide by these rules may result in the closure of your account.

Best of (un)luck at the tables.

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#AP and #UB withdrawal updates #Poker

It has been quite some time since we last heard from Cereus and in between Pokerstars moving on and processing payouts to US customers and the Full Tilt Poker dilemma it feels like a black hole without any information. From time to time though, some members on online poker forums get paid out - about 2 weeks ago a Canadian player was paid by bank wire and I also had some friends from the UK saying they were paid. Apart from that you barely hear any news and I just noticed an email notification for a player from the US that was posted:

Dear xxx,

Thank you for contacting us.

Cereus's top priority has always been, and remains, the refund of account balances to its US players.Unfortunately, the Company still faces several legal issues, which must be navigated before funds can be paid out to US players. The Company's United States attorneys, Blank Rome LLP, continue to work diligently to resolve these issues, which is a necessary further step to facilitate the return of funds to players.US Player account balances, therefore, will not become immediately available for withdrawal as a result of our recent agreement with the DOJ.


We thank you for your patience in this matter. This remains our highest priority, and we will update you as we move forward to resolve outstanding issues.

Regards,
Lucas
UB - Deposits

At least they still occasionally reply to  emails, however it still looks like a standard template and the few players that get paid don't really justify a reasonable statement that anything is improving as of now. Fingers crossed for all players at the US, has anyone else received the same or a very similar email as of lately?

update August 14th 2011: another non US player reported that he has received a Ukash voucher for $500 

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Re: update regarding #FullTilt and Online #Poker in the #US – July 2011

Both Black Friday (April 15^th) and Blue Monday (May 23^rd) went through the online poker scene like a Tornado and we are yet to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The next shockwave was the meltdown of FullTiltPoker, even though most were aware of the illegal bank transactions it still came pretty surprising and as a shock to all. There are rumors that European investors or Jack Binion will buy them for $150 Mio but that is yet to be confirmed and also delayed due to new complaints.

Whereas Pokerstars is almost back to normal and there are no news from AbsolutePoker and UB (pending payout requests for weeks, traffic gone on vacation to wonderland), Full Tilt Poker is the one site in the news as of lately. At first, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) suspended the licenses for Full Tilt Poker. According to a rumor, a few days later at the most recent board of directors' meeting, Ray Bitar was voted out of his role as CEO and he is one of the people in charge that was mentioned in the indictments of Black Friday. This is yet to be confirmed even though lawyer Jeff Ifrah has stated the following:


“We can completely deny the reports that Ray Bitar is no longer CEO. In fact that [rumour] really ruined his day yesterday. It doesn’t help anyone for sites to be reporting news that’s not true.”

Whether this has any influence on regaining the gaming license of the AGCC or not remains unclear as of now and there is no official confirmation either that Full Tilt Poker has been sold and will soon be back up and running. One thing for sure though is that it will probably take a long time before one of the market leaders will regain the confidence and trust of its customers, because what would actually stop them from cashing out all their funds as soon as they can access the cashier again? 

Recently, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) introduced bill HR 2366 and the Online Poker Act of 2011 is supposed to restore the online poker rights by allowing licensed companies to offer Internet poker with real-money play to U.S. residents. It is yet another step towards the legalization of online poker, in fact it is not illegal to play online poker in the United States though. Only the gambling transactions in the form of deposits and withdrawals are illegal according to the UIGEA from 2006. 

The recent actions and developments have shown that the US has planned this for quite some time already and the poker sites tried to bluff too often, it works out as long as you don’t get called but when there is a showdown, you know you are behind. The remaining online poker sites that still allow Americans to play for real money are more considerate and careful with their advertising and the same goes for the online poker forums as well. It is just a logical consequence because nobody can really predict what will happen in the next few weeks.

Cake and the Everleaf network improved their software and Cake recently introduced a new VIP system as well, same goes for the Merge Gaming network but they were not able to handle the massive increase of traffic (sign ups since Black Friday up by 70%) and have stopped their rakeback deals as of June 1^st 2011. Support and all money transactions were delayed and as a direct result, they established a Blackout period for new sign ups from the US in order to catch up. First it was announced to take approximately 3-4 weeks but this deadline has already passed for more than a week and there is no news in sight.

It is a logical step though and better to act now before it can get worse, after all they have to make sure that they can still offer the same quality to all of their players. In the meanwhile, most payment processors are not available anymore and it becomes increasingly difficult to get money on and off the sites. At the same time, it is also more and more difficult to maintain the same promotions and if you are still fortunate enough to play online, you should not waste your time and complain about bad beats and suckouts. 

Not only the US but the whole online poker industry has been hit by this shockwave and even though most non US poker sites try to continue with their schedule business as usual and push promotions while focusing on the European market, only time will tell what the future of online poker will be like. After France and Italy, now Spain will also follow the footsteps and regulate online gambling and it requires a special gambling license to still operate and offer games to Spanish citizens. 

The time has come to use all available free time that you can dedicate to this card game as reasonable and effective as possible, it doesn’t hurt to work on your game and improve the knowledge about all various aspects of this fascinating game that we all like so much. The situation might appear hopeless, but that doesn’t mean we should give up and rather stick together and do whatever we can to establish poker as a game of skill. We don’t mind being taxed if the gaming experience is regulated in a reasonable way, this way we can make sure that the current dilemma will not repeat again.

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#Merge Gaming Network new US sign up blackout now in effect

As previously mentioned a few days ago, the Merge Poker Network has a 2 week backlog for customer support and cashouts are even worse. They were simply not prepared for the tremendous traffic after Black Friday (April 15th 2011) and within those few weeks, they are considered around 70% growth.

In the meanwhile, the customer support team was barely able to handle all requests and after losing Quicktender recently, the main deposit option was credit cards and the general success rate due to the enormous number of transactions was only at around 20%. There have been rumours that CarbonPoker as flagship of the network had a success rate of 70%, but this has not been confirmed yet.

It appears that the announced blackout period for new sign ups from the United States has now come into effect as of June 5th 2011, it is yet another careful step of the network after disabling rakeback deals for new sign ups after June 1st 2011 and the implementation of the new VIP program. Existing players are not affected by this an can still play business as usual. About one month ago, as of May 1st 2011, PlayersOnly / PlayAces was the first Merge skin to disable new sign ups from the US and this current move will be network wide.

There is no confirmation as of how long this blackout period will last, the most common consent is 4-6 weeks and this is a temporarily solution to catch up on the support and money transaction backlog in order to ensure that all issues will be taken care of in a more timely manner. Several skins have already announced to hire more staff for customer support in the very near future and it is also important to clarify that the Merge Gaming has no intention to leave the US market either.

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Everleaf to implement "Bad Beat Guard"

It becomes more and more difficult for poker sites to attract new players and Rush Poker on FullTilt was surely one of the biggest and most innovative features in the last few years. Now the Everleaf network is taking another approach to come up with an innovation at the poker tables and even though it might seem similar to the existing Bad Beat promotions, it still is unique and I am looking forward to seeing it implemented within the software.
___

Sick of bad beats? You and every other poker player alive. That is exactly why you need to be playing with a Bad Beat Guard!

What is it exactly?
Basically, anytime you play at a BBG table, you’ll have a shot at recovering from each and every bad beat you’re unfortunate enough to experience!

Whenever a player goes all-in at a BBG table, the card room calculates the winning chance of every player in the pot. These chances are then displayed as a percentage under the name of each player. Now, if someone loses a hand while their winning percentage was higher than the bad beat cutoff (the percentage displayed in the table label), they’ll have what they put in that pot refunded, in full!

Aside from that, everything about our BBG tables is identical to their standard counterparts.

Terms & Conditions:

• Not all poker tables have a Bad Beat Guard*. Texas Hold'em games featuring BBG are identified by the description.
• Standard ring-game and tournament rules apply while playing tables with a Bad Beat Guard. The rules of play do not change; only pot distribution is occasionally modified to refund players if a qualifying Bad Beat occurs.
• If you take a qualifying Bad Beat in a main or side pot, you’ll be refunded the entire wager you committed to that pot. However, this does not necessarily mean you’ll be refunded the entire wager you committed to every pot that hand. Each main or side pot is evaluated separately for qualifying Bad Beats to ensure required conditions are satisfied and pots are distributed appropriately.
• The calculation of win probability includes the hole cards of players who contributed to the contested pot and still remain at the showdown, as well as the community cards shown at the point of the hand when the relevant All-In wager was made for that pot.
• The calculation of win probability does NOT include the cards of players who folded in the hand. This is true even if a player called the All-In wager in the pot, but folded in a later round of betting for another side pot.
• The calculation of win probability includes the probability of winning by a tie. Therefore, a player with 64.74% probability to win outright and 5.65% probability to win by tie, will show a win probably of 70.39%.
• The Bad Beat Cutoff % is a distinct percent (i.e., 70%) set prior to play commencing, which acts as a hurdle percentage rate upon which your win probability must exceed in order to qualify for a Bad Beat. The BBC% of each game can be found in the table or tournament description (e.g., @ 70%).
• In order to qualify for a Bad Beat, your win probability when rounded at 2 decimal places must exceed the BBC%. Therefore, if the BBC% is set at 65%, then a player with win probability of 64.99% or even 65.00% would NOT qualify.
• If there are two or more hands that qualify for a Bad Beat in the same pot (due to probability of a tie), then each player would be refunded the entire wager they committed to that pot, effectively overturning both Bad Beats. The high hand is then awarded the remainder of the pot.
• A player receiving disconnect-protection is considered to be “technically all-in” for Bad Beat qualification purposes.
• Luvin Poker does not tolerate collusion. All players must act independently and not reveal their hands to other players, nor tell them how to act. Failure to abide by these rules may result in the closure of your account.

* Patent Pending Technology

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Ivey vs Tiltware - War of the Roses reloaded?

When I first heard about the press release from FullTilt, commenting on the actions taken by one of their flagships and probably the most recognized poker player right now, it immediately reminded me of a typical marriage and the movie The War of the Roses from 1989. I am just unsure right now who Michael Douglas is and who is taking the role of Kathleen Turner - well, let's just take a look at the two press releases.

Here is a full copy of Phil Ivey’s Press Release:

"For many years, I have been proud to call myself a poker player. This great sport has taken me to places I only imagined going and I have been blessed with much success. It is therefore with deep regret that I believe I am compelled to release the following statement.


I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.


My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.


I whole heartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.


I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment."

So far so good, he wants to stand up for the players and won't play until they got their money back. Now if you want take a closer look at the lawsuit which was filed in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada - you can check it out here: Ivey Complaint - You can also follow @oskargarcia on twitter, as he uploaded the copy of the lawsuit.


In a nutshell: Phil Ivey is asking for $150 Mio and the immediate reactions in poker communities and from the Pro's have been very mixed to say the least. Some still believe that he really wants to help players to get their funds back, Pro's such as Mike Matusow and Andrew Robl already commented via twitter or their blogs and highlighted the selfishness of this move.

Let's take a look at the statement from Tiltware from last night:

"Contrary to his sanctimonious public statements, Phil Ivey’s meritless lawsuit is about helping just one player – himself. In an effort to further enrich himself at the expense of others, Mr. Ivey appears to have timed his lawsuit to thwart pending deals with several parties that would put money back in players’ pockets. In fact, Mr. Ivey has been invited -- and has declined -- to take actions that could assist the company in these efforts, including paying back a large sum of money he owes the site. Tiltware doubts Mr. Ivey’s frivolous and self-serving lawsuit will ever get to court. But if it does, the company looks forward to presenting facts demonstrating that Mr. Ivey is putting his own narrow financial interests ahead of the players he professes to help."

I think Tiltware has taken the role of Kathleen Turner ... I am not 100% sure, but very similar to the movie this can get really ugly and I am not sure if Phil Ivey has done himself a favor because the lawsuits back and forth can only damage the reputation of everyone involved. And if that is really in the best interest of the poker players? FullTilt is trying to raise money to pay back the players because most of their bank accounts are still frozen by the DoJ ... guess they will have to raise more money soon for lawyers as well.

One thing is outstanding and kinda obvious as well though ... FullTilt should really take a closer look on their public relations, because so far they have issued quite a few statements regarding the status of the repayment of player funds, but rhe communication itself was pretty poor and we still have no idea at all what and when it will happen.

To be continued ...

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Merge Poker Network temporarily disabling New US Player Signups?!

Source: HoldemPokerChat

The Merge Poker Network will temporarily stop accepting NEW US players in a few days in order to catch up on a backlog of customer service requests. Even more importantly though is the fact that this is also the case for all poker money transactions as well. As it stands right now, the customer service has a 2 week backlog and cashouts are much worse.

They simply were not prepared for the influx of players they’ve received since Black Friday and are feeling growing pains. Only NEW players are concerned by this, for all existing players it will be business as usual. As of June 1st 2011, they already disabled the daily rakeback for new sign ups as well and this is another careful step to make sure they will be able to handle the traffic.

The only part of this story that HoldemPokerChat was not able to confirm yet is if this is the case for all Merge Skins or just those that use the Merge cashier and customer support. HoldemPokerChat has been told that the temporary ban on new US players is just supposed to last about a month, however from past experience in dealing with the Merge Network Fonzi from HPC is guessing that "it will last through the end of the summer".

New processing options as well as more customer support personnel are in order to handle the extra traffic, but especially the recent action of the DoJ has shown that they are also going after sportsbooks and their payment processors as well and everybody is more careful in this business, you simply don't know what will happen next week. After the crackdown of AP/UB, PokerStars and FullTilt, the Merge Network was one of the contenders for the US players that were seeking a new home.

A few Merge Poker skin operators complained about the current processing problems and with the loss of QuickTender / UseMyWallet the main option became credit cards. Shocking number: the current success rate for successful credit card transactions is roughly 20%!  According to HPC it is rumored that for Carbon Poker the success rate is closer to 70% which "leads to believe that the Merge Network was putting their site Carbon Poker ahead of all others".

You may understand that this internal info is another tough pill to swallow for US online poker players, but let's keep the fingers crossed that it is the right step in a more regulated online poker experience. It would be even worse for the Merge Gaming network if they don't take the necessary steps to make sure all issues will be taken care of in a timely manner.

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Official Quicktender customer notification about seized bank accounts

The following official statement regarding the current status of Quicktender / UseMyWallet has been sent out by email today to all customers. This is a direct result of the seized bank account, which has already been revealed in a previous blog on Monday with the title The DoJ strikes again - BlackMonday?!


Since our last email communication where we advised any funds in your QuickTender account could still be used to purchase at QuickTender accepting sites we had been working hard to reinstate our withdrawal facility and ensuring your funds where safe and secure.

However, further developments specifically relating to our main bank processing company have resulted in our accounts being frozen subject to a seizure order giving us no ability to make payments in any currency.
In light of these developments we have had no option but to discontinue the Quicktender service with immediate effect and for the foreseeable future.

At this time we are unable to confirm when or if we could make payments of remaining balances.
We will keep you advised of future relevant developments.

QuickTender Support

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Official DoylesRoom press release regarding domain seizure

The following press release will be sent out tonight to all partners of DoylesRoom, I am allowed to post it already:

Doylesroom official statement to affiliates and partners

Doylesroom has temporarily lost the rights to the Doylesroom.com domain.  The company has launched a temporary site at this location: doylesroom.ag and manifests it is business as usual.

Las Vegas, Nevada – May 23, 2011 – The URL www.doylesroom.ag is new location and of the product you have been promoting and endorsing and bears the same guidelines and reliability with which this organization has conducted business throughout the years. Even when the .com domain was lost, none of the normal business operations have been affected.  We assure you that player account balances and information are safe and secure.  Effective immediately, players, affiliates and partners can log on to www.doylesroom.ag where business is conducted as usual.

Please be assured your funds are safe and secure.

No further changes will be noticeable at all and customers will still be able to enjoy the same player experience, with all the features and usual advantages as our original site.  This change reflects just a new address. 

To further clarify any question or concerns please contact us at:   affiliates@dbpn.com

About DoylesRoom.com:
Online since 2004, DoylesRoom (www.DoylesRoom.ag) provides players from around North America and the world with an online gaming experience like no other. DoylesRoom is famous for providing players with access to unequaled poker promotions, fast action, and countless opportunities to play with Doyle Brunson and other legends of the game. With free poker software, lessons, tournaments, nonstop Sit-and-Go tournaments and ring games available at all limits, DoylesRoom is the preeminent poker destination for real live game play—online or anywhere.

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USAma bin Poker?!

Do you get the impression as of lately that you get treated like a criminal or even a terrorist? Unfortunately this is not a dream and when you open your eyes, one of the worst nightmares for American Online Poker players has become reality.

 After the Federal investigations by the FBI and the Homeland Security, you might wonder where the CIA is but they are currently on vacation. Also, do these guys really look like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in “Men in Black” and have those weird sunglasses?

Be careful at the tables in the near future, because especially at the World Series of Poker most of the typical online kids cannot afford to buy in directly anymore since the big 3 sites have been indicted and left the US market. They have not been able to grind their way to WSOP packages and the odds are quite high that those guys with hoodies and sunglasses might be Federal agents!

Now you might sit there and ask if they actually know how to play poker or if they are just dead money at the tables. So far we have been in the showdown once, the first time on April 15^th our pocket Kings got crushed by the American Airlines and ever since we have only been able to recover one third of our stack.

Yesterday, May 23^rd 2011, we tried to steal on the button again and got reraised. We called to see the flop and so far we don’t know where we stand since our opponent checked behind. Turn and River are still to be dealt and hopefully no scare card comes. Fingers crossed, otherwise we can say goodbye to our stack and might not be able to recover anymore and can bury the American Online Poker body.

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Bodog officially switched to .eu domain

Rumours have already been flying around yesterday and today the following email notification as sent out:

As of today, Tuesday, May 24th, you will find Bodog at its new home: www.bodog.eu.

You will find that all of your account information and any funds have automatically been transferred, and your account number (_______) remains the same. The website as well as all of our services remain the same too.

Why the move? The www.bodog.eu address gives our brand a more permanent home as we continue to expand into new markets. We also anticipate the industry will be subject to ongoing fluctuating market conditions and we want to ensure we are prepared to manage them without any interruption to your play.

If you have any questions about the new address, please feel free to contact our 24/7 customer service team at 1-888-263-0000 or service@bodog.eu.

Can't wait for the next news and follow-up after Black Monday ...

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Additional Changes on the Merge Gaming Network - France blocked, some US states restricted!

Source:  Holdem Poker Chat

It has already been announced a while ago that the Merge Gaming network will not be offering rakeback anymore as of June 1st 2011 for new players. They are working on a new VIP Rewards program and this will soon be released.

Today, Merge Gaming issued an internal statement that affects players in France and the United States as well. Due to the legal development in France and the necessity to have a license issued by the government to operate online gambling for French players, they have now also pulled out of the French market as well, similar to the iPoker network and Everest for example.

1) Players from France will no longer be able to play for real money on any skin of the Merge Gaming Network. This applies to new and existing players and they can only access the cashier from now on to withdraw their funds.

2) Furthermore, players from the following US states are now restricted from creating new real money accounts on any skin of the Merge Gaming Network:

- New York
- Washington
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Louisiana

Existing players are not affected by this, but this might be the first additional shockwave after yesterday's Black Monday and it becomes more and more frustrating for online poker players from the United States. As usual, we will keep you updated when we hear more.

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New home for US (online) poker players?

No worries, you won’t get to see flashy banners and US flags with huge “sign up here” signs but I already caught your attention, right? The shockwave of April 15^th, a day that will always be considered as Black Friday in the online poker scene, might have calmed down a bit but the final consequences are not visible yet. I want to use the following blog post for a little summary about the current situation and maybe also provide a temporary solution for some as well.

All indicted and seized poker sites have reached an agreement with the Department of Justice, the latest was AP and UB and as a direct result, they have now been blocking players from the US from the real money tables, but are yet to provide a solution to pay out the funds to their American customers. PokerStars was the fastest to block the players and reach an agreement, it just seems logical that they already offer the option for their customers from the United States to cash out their funds as well.

FullTiltPoker also immediately blocked players from the United States and the residents of Washington could finally say “ha, now you are screwed as well”. But even though they were pretty quick at blocking the players and publishing a press release, they have postponed the official date 3 times now to offer the cashout solution for Americans. I guess it is time to “wait and see”, we might have already witnessed the crash with the iceberg but the Titanic is not sinking yet.

The overall traffic at PokerStars and FullTilt has gone down, but it didn’t hurt them as bad as the Cereus Network since a fair bit of their activities was also focused on the non US market, whereas AP and UB had a significant part of their traffic tied up to the US (about 70%). AP and UB have reduced their capacity and staff to approx. 20% of the original size and want to continue to operate outside of the US, nobody knows yet if these efforts will be successful or not.

A few months ago though most players from the US would have laughed about the smaller networks and just played there for fun and didn’t consider them as an option. The deposits and payouts were slower, the guaranteed games didn’t have the attractive prizepools that most are used to and take for granted based on the last few years on the big sites. They might have not been as successful, but this doesn’t necessarily make them less trustworthy. In fact, they cannot risk using the same strategy for payments that got their “big brothers” in trouble.

So what is actually left for players from the US and how can you be sure that those sites won’t be the next targets for investigations? Most of the networks that still allow players from the US are considerate and careful with their advertising, of course the current dilemma is an opportunity for them but the risk is also by far higher as well and they might not want to jump on the bandwagon yet.

The Merge Gaming Network has been around for several years already, with its flagship CarbonPoker that also offers 35% Rakeback as you play. But they have already implemented a “one rakeback account per network” policy and will even increase that restriction and don’t allow any more rakeback accounts for new players as of June 1^st 2011. If you don’t have a rakeback deal on Merge yet, now is the perfect time. The traffic has increased recently and the software is by far more stable, the regular tournaments have higher prizepools and they now host a weekly 100k Guaranteed every Sunday.

The Cake Network has not changed their policy towards players from the US, however every skin may decide on their own if they still accept players from the US. PowerPoker for example doesn’t accept any new sign ups from the US anymore, but existing players can still access their accounts and play for real money. New start up rooms such as PokerPlayerCafe accept new players from the US and the network wants to change some promotions in the near future and improve the traffic again.

Next on the list would be the Everleaf network, even though their traffic has not benefited much after Black Friday. LuvinPoker is one example, but they may or may not move to Merge or Cake in the near future. New start up networks such as the Atlantis Poker Network offer a different playing experience with either 2D or innovative 3D graphics, but the traffic on skins such as WildSidePoker is not strong yet. 

Many would assume an Indian name when they hear “Yatahay”, but is actually a small poker network and the new home of DoylesRoom, even though Doyle Brunson himself has recently announced that he would leave the site for now due to the recent development in the US after discussing the situation with his lawyers. They recently released a new software and the gameplay is by far better, which is yet to show in the real money traffic.

Last but not least on the list of “serious competitors” for the US market right now is Bodog as standalone poker site that also offers sports betting at the same time as well. They have increased their promotions and now offer $15,000 in Freerolls every month, you have to use Points though to get access and those can be earned on the real money tables.

Quick overview – networks that still allow players from the US:

- Merge Gaming Network
- Cake Poker Network
- Everleaf Gaming Network
- Bodog
- Yatahay
- Atlantis Poker Network

One thing that you always have to keep in mind before signing up for a new poker site: If the offer sounds too good to be true, be careful and look twice before you proceed. Many players are looking for a new home and opportunities to earn money always attract shady people as well. 

Given the recent news about Quicktender - UseMyWallet accounts possibly seized, it becomes obvious that it is getting more and more difficult to fund your accounts, let alone the headache to get money off if you happen to win a decent amount. Many players are worried that this situation will become yet another “eWalletXpress” disaster where most still don’t know if they will ever see any Cent of their funds or not. 

At the same time, the recent WPT Championship at the Bellagio has seen 220 players in total that paid the buy in of $25,000 and thus 25 players more than last year. The ultimate highroller event with a heavy buy in of $100,000 attracted 29 players in total and the winner takes home a paycheck of $1.5 Mio. Is that the new tendency and are you already looking for the next casino near you? One thing is for sure, Black Friday has changed the online poker scene dramatically.

Whereas many players still hope that this might be the first step towards the legalization of online poker in the United States, I would not hold my breath and hope that this will happen anytime soon. We will soon have the opportunity to see the influence on the next big event on the poker calendar, since the World Series of Poker at Las Vegas is around the corner.

P.S. how many referral links did you notice in this blog post? ;)

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AP and UB now blocking US players from real money

As of May 19th 2011, AP and UB have released a new software update that will block all players from the United States to play for real money and just the play money tables are available.

Just recently they also followed the path of FullTilt and PokerStars and reached an agreement with the Department of Justice, the text can be found here: Executed Absolute Poker Money Return Agreement - if you fancy another read, you can also compare it to the agreement of FullTiltPoker as well: Executed FTP Domain Name Use Agreement

PokerStars has already started paying out customers from the US, however FullTilt is still delayed and has postponed the deadline 3 times now. It is unclear yet when AP/UB will make the necessary efforts to proceed as well and even though they have recently increased the weekly cashout amount from $250 to $500 for all non VISA (VISA from $500 to $1000), at the same time they also disabled MoneyBookers as withdrawal option as well:

We regret to inform you that unfortunately MoneyBookers is no longer an available payout option. Your pending request was cancelled and the funds were placed back into your poker account. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please choose any of our other available payout methods for your next payout request. Thanks for your continued patience and support. 

If you look at the current cash game lobby at UB, you see a few active tables and a lot of HeadsUp bumhunters, however only very few tables are actually generating rake. The original plan to stick to the non US business and continue with 20% of the key staff might be a difficult task with such a traffic.

 

I guess right now we can only wait and see ... .The latest news about Quicktender don't necessarily help to feel more comfortable though.

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Intertops Poker Giving Away $2500 in Easter Frequent Player Point Race

Free roll poker tournament for new players only on May 1^st

18 April 2011 (St. Johns, Antigua) – Easter is right around the corner and Intertops Poker is running a $2500 Easter Frequent Player Point Race with real cash prizes up for grabs. 40 players earning the most points between April 16 and 30 will win a share of the prize money.  Players can check their standings on the leaderboard which is updated daily: Easter Race.

The US-friendly online poker site is also offering a $1000 Depositor Freeroll on May 1^st. Every player who makes their first deposit between April 14th and 28th qualifies to play in this free poker tournament with a guaranteed $1000 prize pool.

Intertops Poker players earn Frequent Player Points whenever they are dealt cards at any real money cash game, (one point for every dollar raked) or pay a tournament entry fee (7 points for every dollar paid in tournament fees).  Points are automatically converted into Gold Chips which can then be redeemed for prizes or free tournaments or as non-deposit bonuses. Details are posted on the Promotions tab at Intertops Poker for details.

Intertops is a very busy online poker room so there are always tables at every level for players to join. “We host lots of Sit n Go and multi-table tournaments every day,” said Intertops’ Poker Manager.  “No Limit Hold’em is the most popular game at any level.  Omaha tables tend to see the most action in the $1/$2 level and below.”

There are also several freeroll tournaments every day where players can get their bankroll started with no risk at all. With tournaments starting around the clock, players never have to wait long to join in at Intertops.

Intertops Poker has now been part of the Cake Poker Network for a little more than a year and has been enjoying a steady growth in player numbers.

“Players keep telling me that one of the reasons they like playing here is that we seem to attract fewer grinders than many online poker rooms,” said the Intertops manager.  “They also know that we’ve been around for fifteen years now. They know we take good care of our players and they trust us to make their withdrawals quick and easy, no hassles.”

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If you don't have an account at Intertops yet, you can create one here: Intertops Poker

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ABOUT THE UIGEA AND THE LEGALITY OF POKER and CASINO in the USA

I found the following text while browsing and it is courtesy of Holdem Poker Chat and thought I'd share it with you to clear up some possible confusion that might arise when it comes down to the legality of online poker within the USA.

A common misunderstanding of the US legislation regarding online gambling is to think that it is a ban on the actual online gambling activity. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed in 2006 does not ban online gambling but it forces all banks, financial institutions and third party payment processors to block all transactions with gambling operators. Recently this has been made aware with the downfall of eWalletXpress and more and more banks in the US also deny gambling transactions as well.

However, it is important to acknowledge that it is not that you are not allowed to play online, but when your payment cannot be processed is merely because the payment processor is forced by law to block the transaction.

Some companies have closed their doors to US players not because of the law but because they need to protect the interest of the company. This means that their investors fear that this ruling is so grey that it was better to remove themselves from the US market for their best interest as stockholders did not want anything to do with it. The UIGEA is so ambiguous and has so many unanswered questions that even financial institutions stated that it would be near to impossible to monitor transactions in the way the US government wants them to.

Now to answer the question of whether it is legal or not to play online poker or at online casinos first you must be aware that the UIGEA did not make gambling illegal, but it is recommendable that you always check your state laws. Some states prohibit forms of online gambling while others only outlaw some games. You should also know that in legal cases not even a single player has ever been charged for online gambling.

The Poker Players Alliance gives you as poker player the opportunity to have your voice heard and every and all support is welcome. The PPA has a large lobbiest group and they have been a leading force in helping us out and also changing the US law regarding online poker. If you are not a member yet, please visit their website and join the PPA today!

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D-Rep. Frank urges Treasury Department to put gambling rules on hold

Nikos Portiakos is a staff writer for WDIAV and covers Las Vegas and Gambling.

Barney Frank, congressman and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter advising the Bush administration officials to delay the implementation of several rules that would result in the prohibition ofonline gambling before President-Elect Obama takes over the White House in January, 2009. As reported by the Dow Jones Newswire, the Treasury Department has finished the review of a series of regulations that would ban online gambling activities in the U.S. and is trying to have them implemented in the waning days of the Bush administration. The controversial rules would prevent banks and other financial institutions from processing all kind of transactions, including credit cards, bank transfers and ACH transactions for most online casinos,sportsbetting sites andonline pokerrooms.

Congressman Frank sent a letter this Monday in where he tells Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, that approving and executing the rules as they are "will tie the hands of the new administration, burden the financial services industry at a time of economic crisis and contradict the stated intent of the Financial Services Committee." Frank urged the officials to wait until Obama's administration officially takes office to provide the new government with a chance to evaluate and analyze all the possible the implications and effects the country would face after implementing the rules.

The rules stem from a last-minute addition to a law passed in the final hours of the Republican controlled Congress in 2006. The project to ban online gambling was approved in the last minute by a Republican controlled Congress in 2006, the project was attached to a port security bill that had no relation with the gaming prohibition but that was voted due its relevance for the national security. But even when the bill was voted, the rules proposed by the Treasury in October 2007 don't classify and identify which activities can be considered illegal. Two years after the UIGEA's approval, the Treasury Department hasn't been able to complete a series of rules and definitions needed to implement the ban, partly because the amount of propositions and amendments introduced since 2006.

Frank has strongly opposed any legislation that would require banks to reject to financial transactions related to gambling sites, Frank also has insisted that instead of simply banning online gambling, the government has to regulate and tax some forms of online gaming. Frank's proposal has been well received by other democratic lawmakers, gambling industry representatives as well as banks and financial lobbyists, and even by some Federal Reserve officials.

"I strongly urge you to delay implementation of these major and deeply flawed regulations to permit the incoming administration the ability to review the consequences of a significant policy decision, rather than unfairly being denied that opportunity." Frank expressed in the letter addressed to the government's officials.

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Kentucky to ban online poker on november 17th

Unless KY Traffic Blockage is Shown by Nov 17, Judge Orders Domains Seized
by http://PokerPages.com
Fri, Oct 17th, 2008 @ 12:00am
Kentucky circuit court Judge Thomas Wingate ruled October 16 to uphold the domain seizure of 141 online poker and Internet gambling sites to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, EXCEPT sites whose owners "or respective registrants or their agent, or any other person with an interest or a claim" can demonstrate in person to the court that their site blocks traffic to Kentucky residents on or before a hearing on November 17. If blockage to Kentucky residents is not demonstrated, then the domains will be forfeited to the commonwealth.

On the downside for Kentucky state coffers, the ruling did not order any fine to be paid to the state.
Also, the question has been raised by gambling911 whether any person that appears before the court representing a domain to prove traffic has been blocked to Kentucky could "ultimately be subpoenaed. The judge implies immunity in his decision but that is a really hard call."

THE CORE MATTER: KENTUCKY'S FORFEITURE LAW

At the heart of the matter is the Kentucky law saying "any gambling device or gambling record possessed or used in violation of this chapter is forfeited to the state, and shall be disposed of in accordance with KRS 500.900, except that the provisions of this section shall not apply to charitable gaming activity as defined by KRS 528.101(1)."

SUMMARY OF JUDGE'S OPINION AND ORDER

Wingate wrote a 44-page opinion for upholding his initial order for the seizure, stating in his summary that "judicial interference of the Internet will NOT create havoc," and furthermore that the "Internet with all its benefits to modern day commerce and life, is still not above the law, whether on an international or municipal level."

You can read the entire document that Gambling911 kindly posted a copy of, at:

In the Opinion and Order the Judge addresses the issues raised at the September 25 and October 7 hearings. Here are highlights of some of the judge's replies to those issues raised:

# Are the Defendants 141 Domain Names Property? Reply: the Judge cited other cases that shows domain names have value similar to property, as they are definable, can be exclusively claimed, and can be auctioned. Therefore they are property.

# Do the defendants 141 Domain Names have a presence in Kentucky? Reply: because they do business in Kentucky, they have a presence. He dismisses the argument that no domain name is registered in Kentucky.

# Are the Domain Names, by reason of their illegal or unlawful use, gambling devices? Reply: The Judge says that he follows the spirit of the Kentucky gambling device description and because the 141 domain names connect to 'virtual casinos', they act as gambling devices.
# Is poker "Gambling" as defined by KRS 528.010(3)? Reply: Because poker has all 3 elements that define gambling: the element of chance, risking something of value for a chance to win a prize, and the awarding of a prize to the successful player, that online poker is gambling.

FRIEND OF COURT

In his opinion, the judge noted that only PPA, iMEGA, the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) and Network Solutions Inc (NSI) have 'friend-of-court status' and can continue to "present briefs and memoranda for purposes of informing the court of the ever-changing facets of the Internet," but they could not represent any domain.

GAMBLING & INTERNET COMMUNITY REACTION

"Clearly, we believe the judge in this case got it wrong," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance(PPA). "First of all, we strongly disagree with Judge Wingate's ruling that poker is not a game of skill. As demonstrated in the amicus brief we filed, skill plays an essential role in being a successful poker player. Additionally, we believe that by confirming Governor [Steve] Beshear's actions, the court has set a dangerous precedent for censorship of the Internet. Today's ruling is a big step backward for both personal rights and Internet freedom."

Joe Brennan Jr., chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) said, "What Judge Wingate has done is to create the 'ultimate weapon' to be used by the powerful and influential to attack content they oppose. This will enable government to eliminate competition from differing ideas, beliefs and commerce. This decision today is where it starts, but where will it stop?"
Brennan noted that iMEGA had already prepared for this possible result from the Kentucky court, and will challenge this decision at both the Federal and State courts, to prevent "this cancer from metastasizing and threatening the entire online world."

"This decision must not be allowed to stand, because of the threat it poses to the Internet as a whole," said Brennan. "Judge Wingate has ignored the clear laws of his own state in coming to a decision that essentially green-lights any jurisdiction - in the US and abroad - to ignore our rights and abuse their power to do away with competition or speech or content with which they oppose, regardless of the law. This is a dark day for Internet freedom."

PPA PRESSES LEGISLATION & REGULATION NOT PROHIBITION

"I am certain that many of the plaintiffs in this case intend to quickly appeal this matter,"noted John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. "We are confident that the Kentucky Appellate Court will review the facts and overturn today's order. At the same time, the PPA will continue its efforts to protect the rights of Kentucky citizens to play poker online."

Pappas added, "To truly address Governor Beshear's concerns with online gaming, the PPA continues to encourage the introduction of legislation, modeled after federal legislation such as that introduced by Senator Robert Menendez and Congressman Barney Frank, that would license and regulate online gaming. This approach would allow Kentucky to legally capture millions of dollars to increase revenue and fund critical state programs."

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USA and the UIGEA

Just one week after a historic election the Poker Players Alliance is pitted in a fight to keep anti-Internet poker regulations from being enacted and we NEED YOUR HELP!

The current Administration is hastily finalizing a number of "midnight rules" before they leave office and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is on the list. See the 11/06 story in Dow Jones. Just like UIGEA was snuck into legislation in the dark of night in 2006, our opponents are again trying an 11th hour sneak job. We need you to help us expose and stop this reckless rulemaking.
Please call the U.S. Federal Reserve and tell them not to approve the UIGEA regulations -- Consumer Complaints, 888... or Public Affairs, 202....
Tell them:

* The federal agencies responsible for our nation's economy should not be focused on Internet poker regulations.

* Finalization of the UIGEA rules will add additional burdens on our already crippled financial systems.

* Internet poker is a game of skill and form of recreation for millions of Americans; it should be exempted from the UIGEA.

* Please do not finalize the UIGEA regulations until their impact on our banking systems and average Americans has been fully studied.


Your call will make a huge difference and will add the public's voice to these last minute policy decisions our government is poised to make.We can't stand idly by while they make decisions that will impact our right to play America's card game.PLEASE CALL TODAY!
Proud to play,
Alfonse D'Amato, Chairman
Poker Players Alliance

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