Overview - UFC 92 Betting Lines

On the December 27th, 2008, UFC is being broadcast live from the MGM arena in Las Vegas. Dubbed as “The Ultimate 2008” and seen by MMA critics as one of the biggest Ultimate Fighting Championships in recent history, this historic event will be sure to bring the audience an explosive night of ultimate fighting action.

For the first time in a while it’s actually difficult to pick the “Main Event”, although the main fight for UFC 92 is being advertised as Forrest Griffin against Rashad Evans for Griffin’s UFC light heavyweight championship. With Rashad’s last fight at UFC 88 resulting in an impressive win over former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell he is the obvious number one contender for Griffin’s title.

Other fights such as Frank Mir versus Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira could and probably would command center stage at any normal UFC event - but being that this is being billed as the “Ultimate 2008” - this particular stage is far from normal being that the entire card is filled with high-quality match ups in every weight class.  

Both of the aforementioned fighters have had impressive showings in their most recent fights. Mir’s first round knock out of Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and Nogueira’s submission of Tim Sylvia. This fight really could go either way although the bookies favor Nogueira with early UFC 92 odds at (-350) suggesting he is a big favourite over Frank Mir (+275).

Another bout from the UFC 92 main fight card includes Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against Wanderlei Silva. Wanderlei will be hoping he can make quick work of “Rampage,” just as he did against Keith Jardine in his last fight at UFC “Ill Will” 84. Quinton is looking to come back after he lost his light heavyweight championship to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86.

Fights on the under card (preliminary bouts) include ultimate fighter finalist C.B Dollaway in action against Mike Massenzio and British Mostapha Al-turk making his UFC debut against Cheick “Unstoppable” Kongo.

UFC 92 Preliminary Fights

Yushin Okami Vs Dean Lister 

Antoni Hardonk Vs Mark Burch

Matt Hamill Vs Reese Andy

Bradf Blackburn Vs Ryo Chonan

Dan Evensen Vs Pat Barry

In a story that has been blown open by PokerNews.com and then reported by one of our partner sites over at Poker News Guru, it looks as if Clonie Gowen is going full steam ahead in regards to the lawsuit she’s filed against her now-former employers over at Full Tilt Poker regarding a breach of contract.

The suit brought forth is pretty plain and simple, so I’ll just give a cliff notes version to everyone:

Clonie was apparently promised a 1% stake in the company by Howard Lederer and company back in 2004.  The conversation about the ownership in Full Tilt was made over the phone and justified an oral contract (in her eyes).  Clonie never signed anything in paper but went on her way regardless and began to promote the company full-time on the tournament circuit, wearing logo gear and doing promo ads for the online poker powerhouse.

Three years pass by - and with the popularity of Full Tilt Poker rising, Lederer begins to cut dividend checks to all the ‘Red Pros’ that were brought onto the company when it was first launched several years before.  Clonie apparently rejects Howard’s $250,000 check on the basis that she feels the company is worth exponentially more than what Lederer is making it out to be.  Despite not truly getting “paid,” Gowen continues to promote FTP for another 11-and-a-half months!

In November of this year, Full Tilt informs her she will no longer be apart of Team FTP.  Now from what I gauge from that last sentence is that Clonie feels not slightly scorned and betrayed by the company she relentlessly promoted for the last 4 years, and has now decided to come forward with a lawsuit to get the 1% stake she was originally owed.  She feels the company is worth in excess of $4 billion, so $40,000,000 is apparently a good enough number for her to shoot for in the legal filing…yikes.

To read more on this story, as told by my good buddy, “The Guru,” check out this link below:

Poker News Guru story on Clonie Gowen’s FULL TILT power move!

We here at Gambling101.org are always looking out for our loyal readers and new visitors by making sure we’re always following up on the latest trends and news in the Gambling industry.  The Professor is always on the lookout for first-rate news, new online gambling websites, and of course the best bonuses for your bankroll.

The latter is very important here at the site because we know its YOUR money and you should be allowed to do whatever you want with it!  So if that means playing some internet poker, trying out new online slot machines, or just betting on the top sports games around the country and abroad - then there should be no one out there to prevent you from doing it!  Right?

That’s why I’m glad to see sites like BetUS really go all out to cater to their customers, both new and recurring.  Recently, they’ve unveiled a tireless marketing campaign around the globe to inform the masses that their deposit options are some of the very best in the business.  The people at BetUS have made getting your money online extremely simple and hassle-free, and you can fund your new poker, casino, or sportsbook account (one of my personal favorites) with most major credit cards…and if for some odd reason it gets declined, you’ll still have a large list of e-Wallets to choose from to move your money from Point A to Point B.

Click the banner below or check out the BetUS Poker or BetUS Sportsbook pages here at Gambling101 to get the most detailed information on just a few of the many different faces of this company today - and get your money loaded on without any frills or headaches.

It’s been a long 4 months for the members of the “November Nine” to finally get down to business.  Well, this past weekend, they finally got to it - each of them with their eyes on the $9 million dollar 1st place prize!  

And after it was all said and done, the hearts of 8 other poker players would be beaten down and broken….while the last player standing would prove to make improbable WSOP history with his amazing heads-up victory.

After an exhausting final table that featured some of the sickest beats I’ve ever witnessed in recent memory, super cardrack Peter Eastgate would prove to be unstoppable as he beat the odds-on favorite from Russia, Ivan Demidov, heads up.  With nearly 200 spectators crammed into the ESPN area of the Rio to watch the final table wind down, Demidov hit an unlikely two pair (4’s and 2’s) on the turn of the final hand.  However, that turn also completed a gutshot wheel draw for Eastgate, who held A 5.  The river card bricked out, prompting Demidov to make a very wreckless move in which he moved all-in, where he was instacalled by the 22-year old Danish pro that many nicknamed “the Ice Gate.”

Showing relatively little emotion, Eastgate was engulfed by his hometown crowd as he looked around in pure shock at the feat he had just accomplished.  Peter Eastgate was officially the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, beating the record set by the legendary Phil Hellmuth back in 1989.  

Oh yea, he also took home $9,000,000 and change and a shiny platinum bracelet for his 1st place efforts….

Here are the final results from the 2008 WSOP M.E. final table:

1. Peter Eastgate $9,152,416

2. Ivan Demidov $5,809,595

3. Dennis Phillips $4,517,773

4. Ylon Schwartz $3,774,974

5. Scott Montgomery $3,096,768

6. Darus Suharto $2,418,562

7. David (Chino) Rheem $1,772,650

8. Kelly Kim $1,288,217

9. Craig Marquis $900,670

I just received a fun little message from DoylesRoom.com Support earlier this evening stating that the mega-popular poker room is leaving the United States market….for a 2nd time!  UGH!

After taking a few month hiatus back in 2007 and jumping ship (the first time) due to UIGEA problems, Doyle’s Room furiously jumped back onto the U.S. scene again with revamped software and a lot of great tournaments and cash games.  There was much renewed hope they would be sticking around for good this time, and that it might even set a precedent for other poker rooms to follow suit.  

Unfortunately, it looks the party is once again over for them as their software provider over at MicroGaming just recently announced earlier in the week that they were exiting the U.S.A. after aggressive actions being sought by the Kentucky court systems to ban online gambling in their state.  

The good news is they might be coming back for a 3rd go-around - but most likely with a different software provider and a new look.    

The Cake Poker Network is one of the top companies on their list as far as software goes, but also in the mix are Merge Gaming and a handful of other smaller providers.  However, only time will tell folks.  

The Professor will keep you updated on this interesting story as it develops.

Here’s the official press release they sent out to affiliates of the room like myself, enjoy:

DoylesRoom.com has been informed by its software provider that effective Monday November 10th, 2008; they will no longer be accepting any new players from the United States of America. Existing players from the USA will not be affected by this and will be able to continue playing; therefore, all affiliate revenue generated by these players will be honored. This measure does not affect affiliates located in the USA.

Based on the above, DoylesRoom.com has decided to continue its marketing efforts in the USA and the rest of the world, and to this end we are quickly working towards migrating to a new software platform that will support our efforts to provide security and stability to all USA players and affiliates. Once we migrate to this new platform, our retention department will contact all those new players that tried to join during this transition and help them access the account they attempted to create and by doing so, all affiliate tracking codes will be still attached to each players’ account.

Currently, we are negotiating with multiple software providers. As soon as a decision is made, we will send you another email with all the details.

RedKings Poker, one of the hottest poker rooms in all of Europe right now (I know I know, I wish they were in the U.S.A. too, trust me…have you seen their bonuses???!!!), has just made a major announcement with the addition of two new Swedish poker pros to their family.

Here’s the press release in its entirety, so show your love and support for RedKings (come on Canucks and Euros, help the Professor out!) and check out the official RedKings Poker Review on the site today and get familiar with some of the sickest bonuses on the Net right now!

*NOTE:  Did I mention I’m giving away $20 free bankrolls to the next 5 players who download the RedKings software by the end of November?  Email me at AZGambler83 [at] gmail [dot] com with your username and signup and I’ll make sure to get you hooked up proper!

____________________________________________________________________

RedKings signs Two Swedish Poker Aces (official Press Release)

Jonas “Molle” Molander and Ramzi Jelassi, two of Sweden’s most exciting young poker players have today signed to play live for RedKings Poker, one of the fastest growing Online poker rooms on the Net.

The deal ensures that the two young Swedes will represent RedKings over the following year playing the biggest tournaments both online and Live all over the world. Combined with already very successful online careers these two 22 year olds are both considered poker prodigies in Sweden.

They have played poker on the live circuit with many money finishes and EPT tournaments under their belts and both played this year’s main event in the WSOP.

Commented RedKings Michael Golembo “RedKings is delighted to have Jonas and Ramzi join our team and we welcome them to RedKings Poker. They are both hugely talented and successful poker players and great guys both on and off the tables. They are a perfect fit to the RedKings Brand and we look forward to working with them!

Jonas “Molle” Molander’s biggest win live was at the Helsinki Freezeout where he won over $120 000 and his total live winnings now exceed $400 000. His most recent money finishes include 13th in EPT Barcelona and 20th in EPT London.

Ramzi Jelassi finished 20th in the most recent Barcelona EPT but his biggest win so far was first in a World Championship Heads –Up side-tournament event a couple of years ago. Total live winnings to date exceed $300 000.

In addition to their live successes both have impressive online careers winning more online than their combined live winnings. With this being their first Pro Contracts both players will now be able to focus more on live events and hope to win more live then online under the RedKings banner.

Commented Ramzi and Jonas “We are very excited to get this chance but also very keen to prove that RedKings has chosen the right players to sponsor, it motivates us even more to score that big win in an EPT or WSOP.”

The first appearance under the RedKings flag will take place in the upcoming Amsterdam Classic and maybe we will see the battle of these two newly crowned Kings in the heads up!?

www.redkings.com is the fastest growing online poker room on the Ongame Network and operates in over 17 languages. Established just 2 years ago RedKings has tournament guarantees now of over $15,000,000 with its flagship Grand Tournament providing a guarantee of $1,000,000 later this month. Introducing the online GSOP (Grand Series of Poker) in just over 3 weeks, RedKings is fast becoming the first choice for many of the world’s best poker players.

It seems like UIGEA just won’t go away…

Or at least in the eyes of us online poker players, just overturned already.

In a surprising twist of events that’s been recently unfolding on Capitol Hill, rumors are swirling wildly that William Wichterman, a close aide of current U.S. President George Bush, is trying to exert “considerable political pressure” to push forward UIGEA.  

According to Politico.com, who first reported the story, it looks as if Wichterman has been working very closely with a high-ranking Washington lobbyist to not only to ban online gambling in America, but to also impose harsh penalties on any financial institutions, banks, and credit card companies who allow U.S. citizens to fund such “illegal” online wagering accounts.

The Bush administration is trying to get the process rolling before Barack Obama is sworn in as George Bush’s Presidential successor on January 20th, 2009.  Many online poker opponents such as Arizona Senator Jon Kyl are aiming to have the UIGEA guidelines put into place before November 17th, 2008, which is around the same timeframe in which the new Democratic Presidential administration can make things a bit more difficult to pass any new laws or bills.

House Financial Committee leader Barney Frank is hoping to put a stop to any additional lobbying efforts for the implementation of UIGEA, and has vowed to continue working side by side with the PPA to ensure there’s plenty of wiggle room in the next few months to have such a vague law overturned.  I’ll try and report on this story as much as possible as it unfolds even more over the next few days.

One of the largest and most well-known gaming companies in the world has officially announced it is leaving the once fruitful U.S. market to focus on its international bases.  The Microgaming Network -which is home to poker sites such as Doyle’s Room, Unibet, and GNUF - looks to be folding to pressure brought upon by the Kentucky court systems that have recently been involved in trying to confiscate over 100 of the top gaming domains in the industry and BAN online gambling in the Bluegrass State.

Although the ruling has been delayed and many of the rooms involved in Kentucky’s lawsuit have either placed IP-bans on their citizens or just voluntarily handed over their domains, a big network like the one Microgaming runs did not want to see any possible legal ramifications that might be brought upon them if they remained in the U.S.A.  They have seen the troubles the United States government brought upon sites like Party Poker and eWallets like Neteller and thought it would most likely be wiser to bow out completely rather than take the multi-million dollar risk.

With a new President being recently elected in Barack Obama, many in the gaming community are hoping for a swift Democratic response to not only the Kentucky situation, but also to the UIGEA laws that went into effect in 2006.  Any pending overturns of that ban might see a lot of networks such as Microgaming possibly re-enter the U.S. market, as well as assist in ushering other popular rooms like Party Poker, 888, and BetFair back into the supposed “Land of the Free.”

RummyRoyal, one of Gambling101.org’s newest sponsors, is holding a special $10K Guaranteed Rummy Tournament on November 16th, 2008!  The site has been on the market for a few years now, and has recently expanded its presence not just in the United States, but also globally in countries like France, Germany, and Italy.  This is hands down the BIGGEST Rummy tournament in history, and the Professor wants YOU to be apart of all the action.

Whether you’re a noob or a veteran Rummy player, this website caters to all skill levels and bankrolls.  You can try your hand at the many FREE games they have to offer OR you can also deposit real money (yes, they have a variety of methods to get your cash on) and play with other competitors all around the globe to show off your game!  If you’re not familiar with all the Rummy Games online, check out the special section we have here on the site to help you out.

A new debate has cropped up across college campuses across the nation - especially with the booming popularity of poker amongst young people.

Should college students quit school entirely to play poker full time?

The arguments for and against are both very compelling.

College is just another school to some and to others it is their next step for their future.

Opponents have very clear arguments against quitting college to play poker full time. One of their most interesting arguments is the fact that most people who quit school do not make an adequate income to support themselves. Beginning players often fail to grasp the intricacies of playing full time poker. Not to mention that it takes dedication and patience to make any real money in the gambling world.

A second argument is that poker is a highly addictive sport. It can lead to long periods of non-socialization, lying to supporting family about where they are spending their money, and massive credit card debts. Being is such debt not only harms the individual but also hurts the people who support that person. Read any poker forum on the internet and you will see what I’m talking about. Kids going busto on daddy’s credit cards or not being able to pay their backers when they go on massive downswings.

The last main argument is that dropping out of college now will not led to that obtaining that degree. It can be difficult to go back to college when older, especially when surrounded by everyone who is younger. Furthermore, it means making sacrifices when lifestyles change and now there is a family to support.

Proponents of dropping out of college make the argument that they are financially supporting themselves and no longer depend on their family for support. Easing the burden of paying for costs of college. Also many of them are single and do not need the extra income to support a family.

For proponents, poker is not some addiction but rather a very fun job that many of them find interesting. It is something that they enjoy doing. Work becomes less like a job. Also, they can work this job any time of the day or night, allowing them to set their own schedules.

They also state that they are highly social and not hunched over introverts who live on the computer. They strive to achieve a balance between the computer and their social life. That they interact out on a regular basis and keep friendships among their college friends.

Both sides make a case for themselves but it is up to the individual to make the ultimate decision. Dropping out is not a light decision, it affects not only yourself and your future goals but those who have provide the support necessary to go to school. Remember, playing poker requires skill, a basis knowledge, and an ability to learn. All necessary ingredients required for college as well.