PKR Announces “Road to Vegas” Satellites

PKR.com, the revolutionary 3D poker site, has announced their “Road to Vegas” promotion which promises to award thirty-three seats to various WSOP events in 2009. This is a significant increase from their WSOP satellites last year, and they hope to have Team PKR put on a spectacular showing at this year’s WSOP. And of course, since this is a PKR sponsored event you can bet that the entire thing is done in a fun and creative way. Here’s how it works:

Each week PKR gives away one WSOP package, and over 33 weeks that equals 33 total packages. Also, every week the satellite has a special stipulation to it. For example, this week is a freeroll that satellites players into the heads up $10,000 event, but the satellites has a “variable starting stack”. What this means is that players earn their starting stacks by playing real money sit and go’s at PKR.com.

Every dollar you win playing sit and go’s equals 1 chip in the WSOP satellite. So, if you win $500 playing sit and go’s throughout the week, you’ll start the satellite with 500 chips. This is a great tournament for sit and go specialists, as you can enter the freeroll with a decided advantage in your big stack.

PKR has plans for future satellites that will involve PKR point races, touranment leader board standings, and high hand jackpots to create a fun tournament that everyone will enjoy.

For those of you who don’t know about PKR.com, they are a revolutionary online poker site that launched a year and a half ago, and has already blown up to become a major player in the online poker market. Although they don’t accept USA players, they still have a huge player base and their 3D software provides a great player experience. If you’re a serious player, you can even get rakeback at PKR which will help your hourly win rate.

If you’re interested in learning more about PKR’s poker site, or just poker sites in general, check out our Online Poker section.

The Tale of Isaac ‘WestMenloAA’ Baron and His Lost Lexus.

I came across a really funny poker blog post by professional player Alec Torelli at his CardPlayer.com blog recently - and with the new year coming upon us soon I only thought it was fitting to post it real quick here on the site.  It has also been a hot topic over at Two Plus Two, so I definitely thought it was news/blog-worthy.

Isaac Baron, who is hands-down probably one of the best online poker players in the world, is the main character in this drunken tale of stupidity and fun.  You probably all know him as “WestMenloAA” on PokerStars and have seen his name on P5’s for his sick tournament scores in both the Stars Sunday Million and Full Tilt Poker FTOPS events.  He’s also one of the nicest and informative players you could chat with or rail on the interwebs - which makes this story just insanely funnier given that he just doesn’t seem like someone who could possibly do what he did, lol.

The plotline is pretty simple.  Isaac scores a nice $60,000 insta-payday after earning a 40%  cut of Alec Torelli’s action in a high-limit cash game online. To celebrate, he buys a very impressive 2007 Lexus IS 350 Sport - bastard, heh. He then drives said Lexus to a nearby college party in Santa Barbara.  Drunken shenanigans ensue and he basically forgets where he parks his new $50k Lexus and vows to come back in the morning when he’s a bit more sober to find it again.

Essentially, even after Baron sobers up he discovers his car is STILL nowhere to be found.  He subsequently just files a police report and the insurance company just ships him a check for the full value of the car - under the premise of course that the car was just stolen.  Being the baller that he is, Isaac uses the crappy situation of his stolen Lex and implements the insurance check and another $75k to buy a brand-spanking new Maserati!  Oh how good it must be to be the Baron at times, right?

Now, fast-forward nearly 6 months later.  Isaac receives a call from the insurance company stating that they had just received notification that his “stolen” Lexus was actually never stolen at all - it was just parked under a tree a few blocks from where he had apparently parked it before he went to that wild Santa Barbara party!  So, in retrospect, the next time you think you’ve done something so universally stupid after getting trashed at some random party - think about Isaac Baron and the tale of his Lost Lexus….

Bodog Christmas Sets Up “12 Days of Poker”

“12 Days of Poker” Holiday Promotion at Bodog

Bodog Poker is getting ready for the holidays by giving their players an opportunity to earn some extra cash. A new promotion has been announced by the poker room called “12 Days of Poker” which will begin on December 21st and continue until January 1st.

The holiday promotion will have an amazing 45 tournaments take place over the allotted time period and Bodog will be adding more than $100,000 in prize money to the prize pools of the events as well as Bodog Poker Open 3 packages.

>> Download Bodog Poker Today <<

What you want to do as a player is make the finale. To make the finale you must do one of the following:

- Finish 1st to 4th on the Leader Board- which will track your progress throughout the time period.

- Finish 5th to 100th to get an entry into the Semi Finals tournament where the top 18 advance

- Be one of five wild cards which will be randomly drawn from players who participated in at least five “12 Days of Poker” tournaments.

The top three players in the Grand Finale will win a Bodog Poker Open 3 package and fourth through tenth place will win a seat to the Bodog Flight Club Semifinal which is a section of a new program that will start in January of next year.

12 Days of Poker Schedule:

Event # Date/Time • Tournament and Buy-In Amount

#1 12-21 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $3K Added (Deep Stack) $100+9
#2 12-21 / 4pm ET • 12 Days – $20K Added $100+9
#3 12-21 / 4:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added $10+1
#4 12-21 / 10:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added $20+2

#5 12-22 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#6 12-22 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (Deep Stack) $69+6

#7 12-23 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#8 12-23 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (Deep Stack) $150+12

#9 12-24 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#10 12-24 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#11 12-24 / 6:40pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $12+1
#12 12-24 / 7:20pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added $100+$9
#13 12-24 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (rebuy) $50+5
#14 12-24 / 10:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (turbo) $20+2

#15 12-25 / 1:20am ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $20+2
#16 12-25 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#17 12-25 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#18 12-25 / 6:40pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $12+1
#19 12-25 / 7:20pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added $69+6
#20 12-25 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $3K Added (Deep Stack) $44+4
#21 12-25 / 10:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (turbo) $20+2

#22 12-26 / 1:20am ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $20+2
#23 12-26 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $4K Added (Deep Stack) $100+9

#24 12-27 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $3K Added (Deep Stack) $50+5
#25 12-27 / 10:20pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $30+3

#26 12-28 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $3K Added (Deep Stack) $100+9
#27 12-28 / 4pm ET • 12 Days – $20K Added $100+9
#28 12-28 / 4:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added $10+1

#29 12-29 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#30 12-29 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (Deep Stack) $69+6

#31 12-30 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#32 12-30 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (Deep Stack) $150+12

#33 12-31 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#34 12-31 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#35 12-31 / 6:40pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $12+1
#36 12-31 / 7:20pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added $100+9
#37 12-31 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added (rebuy) $50+5
#38 12-31 / 10:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added $20+2

#39 1-1 / 1:20am ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $20+2
#40 1-1 / 2pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Super Stack) $30+3
#41 1-1 / 3:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (Deep Stack) $40+4
#42 1-1 / 6:40pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (rebuy) $12+1
#43 1-1 / 7:20pm ET • 12 Days – $2K Added $69+6
#44 1-1 / 8:30pm ET • 12 Days – $3K Added (Deep Stack) $44+4
#45 1-1 / 10:30pm ET • 12 Days – $1K Added (turbo) $20+2

#46 1-8 / 9:05pm ET • 12 Days – Semifinal $0+0 (Top 18 win seat to finale)

#47 1-15 / 9:05pm ET • 12 Days – Grand Finale $0+0 (Top three win BPO3 package, fourth to ninth win T$270)

PokerStars Brings Back Instant eCheck Deposit Option!

The title says it all - PokerStars has finally brought back the eCheck deposit option for USA players. Besides credit cards, eChecks are the most convenient deposit option available, as they allow for instant transfers directly from your checking account. Also, PokerStars doesn’t charge any fees for using the eCheck option, so you’ll save a bunch of money over using a deposit service like Western Union.

To deposit using eChecks you’ll have to provide PokerStars with your 9-digit bank routing number, your checking or saving account number, your social security number, your date of birth, and your phone number. After your first eCheck deposit, you’ll have to wait 48 hours until you can make another deposit using eChecks. However, after you’ve had your first successful eCheck deposit you can make up to 4 deposits using eCheck transactions per 24 hours.

Although this is great news from PokerStars, eCheck deposits won’t work for everyone in the United States. The UIGEA bill attempts to limit financial institutions when it comes to processing gambling transactions, and some banks have followed the regulations. If your bank denies your eCheck transaction, it’s most likely because they won’t process online gambling payments. If that is the case, you’ll have to use another gambling deposit option like Western Union or Credit Card.

If you’re making your first deposit at PokerStars.com, you’ll be eligible for a 100% up to $50 match bonus. To redeem your bonus, sign up using marketing code “PSP7236” and make the deposit. After depositing, the bonus money will be held in your pending bonus account until you release it by earning PokerStars Frequent Player Points. To learn more read our PokerStars.com Review.

PokerStars also gives all new depositors entry into exclusive freerolls. They’re giving away $75,000 in these freerolls between now and Christmas, so make sure to sign up at PokerStars.com today!

Inspirational “SNL” Skit Motivates Poker Players To Pwn Silly?

Have you ever thought to yourself the OTHER emotions that go along with winning a big cash game pot or taking down a sick tournament score?

I’m not talking about the euphoric feelings you get when you crack Aces with 8 5 off suit, or the enjoyable rise one gets when tilting your opponents via the table chat box.

I mean the LITERAL feeling one gets when having a true moment of poker pimpnacity.

Well, tonight, as I lay on the couch watching the newest episode of “Saturday Night Live,” I was lucky enough to be a witness to the true meaning of pwnage - ESPECIALLY in regards to poker - and I am now sharing it to the world on this very late Saturday evening.

Scroll down below and just click the “Play” button - and remember to freeze the hook of this song into your brains….and hold onto it forever - because the next time you have a moment of elite poker glory - or hell, even getting a new poker site download on your pc - THIS is how you need to feel.  The raw emotions are so obvious, obv.

(oh, and it probably won’t be as appealing if you’re a woman player - sorry)

CLICK HERE if you can’t view this video.

*This Public Service Announcement was brought to you by G101 and was in no way meant to offend the intelligent and beautiful women poker players who are unable to perform aforementioned said act due to science and sheer genetics*

PokerStars Announces Russian Poker Tour Events for 2009

PokerStars.com, the biggest online poker site in the world, has announced their plans to create the Russian Poker Tour - the first major tournament series ever for Russia. This news comes shortly after the second place finish of Russian Player Ivan Demidov in the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Demidov is a poker sensation in his country, and claimed multiple times during the World Series that Russia is an up and coming force in the poker world.

The Russian Poker Tour (RPT for short) will kick off on January 25th in St. Petersberg. The Nevskiy pr, Concert Hall Premier will host a $5,000 week long event culminating with the final table on February 1st. The next stop for the RPT will be Moscow, where a $10,000 buy-in event will run from February 22 to February 28.

To help jump start the tournaments, PokerStars is offering a slew of satellites to help players qualify for the big buy-in events. The lowest buy-in satellites are $2.22 buy-ins that qualify players for an $800 direct satellite tournament. There are also other satellite options, including $8.80 tournaments that send qualifiers to a $109 super satellite. Regardless of your bankroll, there is a satellite tournament at PokerStars that will give you a shot at a huge payday in the RPT. To learn more about PokerStars tournaments, or to get a great $50 sign up bonus, head over to our full PokerStars.com review.

PokerStars has also announced the structure of the RPT tournaments, and players will be pleased to hear that the structure is basically the same as most EPT events. Each player starts with 15,000 tournament chips, and levels increase every hour with periodic breaks throughout the day.

This isn’t the first poker series that PokerStars has sponsored. In fact, there are over five different tournament series that PokerStars has a hand in, including the European Poker Tour, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, and the Latin America Poker Tour. Every one of their prevoius tournament events have seen great success, and we expect the same from the Russian Poker Tour.

You can bet that all of the major Russian poker players will show up to both of these events, including Demidov, Kirill Gerasimov, and Alexander Kravchenko. With an improved economy in Russia, many citizens are finding more time for leisure activities such as playing poker, and as a result of that Russia has really had a big impact on the poker world both online and offline. We expect much more from Russian poker players in the future, so keep your eyes out.

Controversial AP/UB Online Poker Scandal Featured on CBS “60 Minutes.”

This past Sunday, the popular CBS program “60 Minutes” aired their investigation into the online poker scandals which involved online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and their sister site Absolute Poker, both of which are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises.

Steve Kroft, a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” traveled to several destinations to uncover parts of the scandal. When the program began it discussed the poker boom, which took place the moment when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, as well as other facets of the industry that have been thriving ever since that historic day. Moneymaker’s $2.5 million win showed everyday Joes that they too could play poker and win tons of cash in the process - and that he truly cashed in on the best poker bonus possible by parlaying an online satellite into some very life-changing money at the WSOP.

The program then shifted its focus quite intimately on online poker. Steve Kroft stated:

“We should tell you that this $18 billion industry is illegal in the United States, but the ban is almost impossible to enforce since the internet sites and the computers that randomly deal the cards and keep track of the bets are located offshore, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement.”

Former WSOP bracelet winner Todd Witteles was on the interview block next. Todd is known for his online name “Dan Druff” on most popular poker sites, and he’s one of the owners of the notorious poker forum over at NWP. Todd commented on the “Graycat” superuser account as well, claiming that:

“This ‘Graycat’ person was new and at first he seemed like a live one. He seemed terrible. He was raising just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy. He seemed like he was giving his money away, except the only thing was, he wasn’t losing. He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.”

There were several other interviews conducted during the course of the piece, 2 of which were affected by the cheating from such superusers like the aforementioned “Graycat,” as well as the notorious “POTRIPPER” account, which also stole countless millions from high-limit cash game players in UB ring tables.

Russ Hamilton, a former WSOP champion, was found implicated directly by investigators of masterminding the $20 million cheating scandal at Ultimate Bet and was named in a report distributed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, who was looking into the claims. Michael Delisle, who is the current head of the KGC, was grilled intensely during the show, asking why there wasn’t more being done to stop what was going on, and why so much was swept under the rug.

Delisle was also asked why Russ Hamilton and the five other accomplices involved in the KGC findings had not been charged with any crime. Delisle stated:

“We’re willing to work with anyone who wants to bring these people to justice. I believe that anyone else, named or not, will be brought to justice if they can be found.”

Steve Kroft had tried contacting Hamilton by calling his home directly, but unfortunately his has since gone unanswered - as have many questions still being asked about this superuser controversy.

Check out the full segment by clicking the Play button below:

UltimateBet and Absolute Poker Form the New CEREUS Poker Network.

On November 25th, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker joined together as one poker network called CEREUS. The transition is complete after many months of hard work and dedication from Tokwiro Enterprises.

It was announced back in July that the two poker rooms would be joining both of their skins into one, but the launch itself was delayed by a legal battle between Excapsa, the former owners of Ultimate Bet.

Cheating controversies have affected both online poker rooms and Tokwiro inherited the scandal when they purchased the business. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission stated in a November press release that Excapsa had to pay Tokwiro $15 million that would be used to “refund players who were affected by the cheating scandal that Tokwiro inherited when it purchased the business from Excapsa.”

This battle had held off the launch but now that it is settled, players can now enjoy the combined power of both poker rooms. CEREUS has a common platform that was built from scratch to offer players from the sites more features, larger scale tournaments, large Bad Beat jackpots, better guarantees and promotions - and most importantly, enhanced security.

Players are sure to be concerned about security measures after the cheating problems both site have incurred in the past. The owners have worked hard to ensure their players safety and meet all of their concerns. In a recent press release by CEREUS, the company stated that the following:

“delivers a secure, responsive and flexible online poker gaming experience to members of the UB and AP communities. The new poker platform is backed by leading technology and a 24/7 Security Center to deliver a watertight gaming experience for everyone at the tables.”

With both poker rooms joining together, CEREUS will become the 3rd-largest online poker room on the internet. Players can still play on their existing sites by simply logging in; the only change that should be seen is the larger number of players online.  You can also get Absolute Poker Rakeback or Ultimate Bet Rakeback through qualifying sites.

“Red Pro” Clonie Gowen Brings Lawsuit Against Full Tilt Poker.

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!

BetUS Poker and Casino Offer Hassle-Free Deposits.

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?

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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.

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