Sources Confirm Russ Hamilton Behind UB Scandal.
September 30, 2008
Former WSOP Main Event champion Russ Hamilton has been found by investigators to be one of the main suspects behind the Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker superuser account scandals that robbed players of millions of dollars! Hamilton, who was apparently associated with the affiliate program at UB when they first launched, has now been fingered as a high priority suspect by the KGC and another security firm hired to audit the company.
Frank Catania Sr., president of Catania Gaming Consultants, has been working closely with the Kannawake Gaming Commission to figure out the key figures that were behind the controversy. Their final report includes Hamilton and several others as the main perpetrators of the much-publicized incident. The implication of these individuals carries some serious legal weight, and it is unknown whether they would be tried under international law or taken back to the United States to face trial.
The scandal, which was initially broken by online poker player Nat Arem, has been huge news as of late. The popular CBS program “60 Minutes” is set to air footage of the investigation into both AP and UB, and this will undoubtedly add even more fuel to a fire that has been burning for over a year now at the embattled company.
Lucky Ace Casino Now Added To Gambling101.org.
September 30, 2008
On top of our recent addition of RedKings Poker to our poker section of the site, we are also very proud to welcome the Lucky Ace Casino to our top list of recommended online casinos.
Lucky Ace already has a strong reputation in the industry because of the current platform their software runs off of. Being apart of the 888 Network means that they must adhere to the strongest standards of playability and functionality.
Lucky Ace also features some of the world’s most popular casino games. Single Zero Roulette, Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Caribbean Poker (jackpot), Keno, Craps Baccarat, and over two-dozen video poker and slot machines are some of the big games that make up a nice part of the casino itself.
The current deposit bonuses at Lucky Ace include a 100% match up to $200 when you open up your new player account at the site. For more information on the site itself, please feel free to check out out official Lucky Ace Casino Review.
RedKings Poker Is The Newest Addition To Gambling101.org.
September 29, 2008
101% Bonus up to $1,001 Offered at RedKings!
Instead of some regular gambling news that’s been going on in the circuit lately, I thought I should tell the G101 faithful about one of our newest additions to the site, RedKings Poker.
RedKings is housed on the world-renown OnGame Network and is one of the sickest new poker rooms out there. It has amazing software, 24/7 customer support, and as I mentioned above offers one the best deposit bonuses on the planet. With tournament guarantees topping out at just over $15,000,000 a month and some of the softest cash game competition anywhere, the site has been really rising in popularity over the entire year of 2008.
Right now, the site is offering the Gambling101 faithful a special 101% deposit match up to $1,001! It is one of the highest in the industry right now and is one of the simplest bonuses to clear. Bonuses on RedKings are cleared once the entire Player Point threshold is cleared, and what ever the initial deposit was that you threw on will be immediately credited back to your player account.
For more information on this special sponsor, please check out our official RedKings Poker Review.
PPA Butting Heads With The State of Kentucky.
September 27, 2008
Poker Players Alliance Makes Stand Against Governor Beshear.
The Kentucky government is in for quite a fight this week over its plan to take control of 141 of the biggest online gambling domain names in the world. The suit, which was filed by lawyers representing the “Bluegrass State” just several days ago, states that they wish to not just ban online gambling within their jurisdiction, but they also want to have the domains transferred over into their possession to be sure they get their wishes. The plan has been met with a ton of resistance by many pro-gaming advocates, none of which get any bigger than the Poker Players Alliance.
According to a newly-rising poker news outlet, the PPA had filed an Amicus Brief (known as “Friends of the Court” in simpler terms) on Friday to let their own case be known that the order put forth by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is beyond its jurisdictions and absolutely unenforceable. The order that was put into motion by the PPA says that domain name disputes go much broader than what state law can possibly enforce, and that online gambling companies that aren’t ran within those state lines aren’t subject to mediation by any local U.S. judge.
There has been no clear-cut decision yet in the case, and it is uncertain when they’re might be one. However, any verdict that might allow such big websites as PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to relinquish their domain names could set a HUGE precedent down the line when it comes online poker regulation. If a state government can stick their noses into something that isn’t even operated in their own state, let alone their own country, then who’s to say that other states won’t follow suit?
The situation, albeit a very young one, is already causing quite a buzz in the industry, and it is something we here at Gambling101.org will be following very closely over the next few days.
Bodog Poker Open II Features Huge 650K in Guarantees.
September 26, 2008
BodogLife’s Sickest Guaranteed Poker Tournament EVER!
Registration for the Bodog Poker Open II is officially open for business. Qualifiers have been up and running for this 8-Event Championship Series for a few days now, with buyins for each of these big MTT’s ranging from $100 to $500.
The first event of the series goes down on September 28th - with a major tournament going down each day after that and culminating with the HUUUUUGE Main Event on October 5th. The guarantee put up by Bodog will be $300K in this finale, the largest EVER put up by Bodog. I’m not sure if the tourney itself will fill to capacity given Bodog’s past considering the weekly $100K has had a regular overlay of $25K to $40K alone!
Adding a little something extra to the mix is that Bodog will also be running 6 bounty tournaments during that week where they will award Main Event Semifinal seats (T$109) to anyone that can knock out one of the 20 players with a bounty on their particular head. The buyins for these special tournaments range from $20 to $100.
Qualifiers for all of the championship events run every day and buy-ins range from 50 Bodog poker points to $100.
Registration for all tournaments is open and listed under the BPO tab in the Bodog poker software. Get more information on Bodog’s biggest online poker tournament ever today.
Zachary “ckingusc” King Wins 2008 WCOOP Main Event!
September 23, 2008
Live Pro Brings Home Online Spectacle.
The 2008 PokerStars WCOOP finally concluded this past weekend, with the 2-day Main Event highlighting online poker’s biggest tournament series. The $5,200 buy-in attracted 2,185 of the best poker players in the world, and all of them had their eyes set on the prestigious gold bracelet and of course the $1.7 million first-place prize. Day 1 play ended after nearly 13 hours, leaving only 60 entrants to play on when Day 2 resumed on Monday afternoon.
The 2nd day saw the final 5 tables go at each other at uber-insane levels. After the first hour, the remaining field had been trimmed down nearly in half to just 32 players. As I saw some of the action myself on the rail, I witnessed a lot of crazy plays and aggressive moves that costed a lot of big name players a shot at going deeper. WCOOP superstar ElkY had hopes of closing out his series with a huge win, but it was not to be as he went out in a disappointing 21st. My good friend Charder30 caught some tough breaks late in the match, and just couldn’t catch some much needed momentum as he went just before the final table in 11th place. The unfortunate bubble boy would be FluffDog87, who would receive $87K for his pain and suffering of going out in 10th place.
With that elimination the final table for the event was finally set. Liberace was the chip leader with just over $13 million in front of him, with Markush13 closely behind at $11 million and change. And despite being short-stacked with just around 3 million chips, online poker veteran AJKHoosier1 was still the consensus fan favorite to take it down.
With that being said, action at the final table was heavy and quick, much like the beginning of Day 2 in general. There were some quick eliminations just a few dozen hands in. Kovi99 and BOLLPOKER met their demise early in the match, going out in 9th and 8th, respectively. With blinds then reaching $80K/$160K, it would be players klslcz and Sumpas who would hit the rail in 7th and 6th place. Sumpas’s elimination opened the door for deal talks during 5-handed play.
Now since Liberace had about 60% of the 55 million remaining chips in play, he had the obvious leverage in the chip-chop deal that was being proposed. However, it took a couple hands and some careful negotiating on all the parties to come to a beneficial deal. In the end, they got everything worked out, with Support leaving $200K on the table to play for.
Once the numbers were worked out play once again got off to a quick start. ShoesRDurrty and Markush13made some ill-timed moves just a few hands after the deal was made, and both ended up going in 5th and 4th place. AJKHoosier1 was still the short stack as 3-handed play began, but he was hoping to gain a leg up and use his invaluable tournament experience to his advantage. Unfortunately for him, the momentum just never swung back in his direction, and he ended going out in an unlucky 3rd place.
Heads up play would start with Liberace still holding a solid 1.5 to 1 chip lead on Zachary King akackingusc. However, a few hands into HU play, the tables turned in favor of King. Both players got all their chips in a flop of 8 3 7. With 40 million chips in the middle of the pot, this would either win the match forLiberace, or give all the momentum and the chip lead back to Zachary. The Q 7 of Liberace would prove to hardly be any type of huge favorite against the flush draw and over cards that were held by ckingusc. The King on the turn gave the lead back to Zachary, and the flush he hit on the river just added a little bit of insult to injury.
With the newly-found chip lead, it was time for ckingusc to put the squeeze on his opponent one last time and lay claim to the extra $200K in prize money on top of the esteemed WCOOP gold bracelet. This came in the form of an all-in push pre-flop with A 8 that was called by the K J of Liberace. Both players hit top pair on the flop, but it would be ckingusc’s Aces holding up as the turn and river came up empty for his rival - giving Zachary King the WCOOP Main Event title!
Here are the final payouts (with the chop figures included) - see everyone next year at the WCOOP:
1. ckingusc $1,265,432
2. liberace $1,375,249
3. AJKHoosier1 $782,542
4. Markush13 $961,718
5. ShoesRDurrty $801,153
6. Sumpas $415,150
7. klslcz $305,900
8. BOLLPOKER $196,650
9. kovi99 $121,267
Poker Versus Casino – What to Choose In The Long Run?
September 15, 2008
Picking Apart Online Casinos and Online Poker Rooms.
You have had a pretty tough week at work, and now is your chance to take a break and relax for a while. You’ve dabbled in online gambling before in both poker and casino games, but you’re a little stuck for choice between the two. On the one hand you’ve got the skillful game of poker, but on the other you’ve got the quick thrills of online casino games, so which do you choose?
Just as with any choice in life, it all depends on what you are after. To help you make the right choice between online casino and online poker, allow me to draw up the main pros and cons of your options - hey, maybe it’ll just help you choose accordingly.
Online Casino
The term “online casino” is a little broad, mainly because an online casino gives you such a wide variety games to choose from. You have the popular game of Roulette, the classy game of Craps, a whole load of slot machines and so much more at your fingertips. Basically, if you can find the game in a live casino, then you are sure to be able to find it online. You might have enjoyed playing Roulette in a live casino before, so why not play Roulette online?
As with almost every casino game, there is the opportunity for some pretty big wins. Roulette is always going to be pretty popular, because one lucky spin can land you with winnings 36 times the size of your original bet (pretty nice eh?). Blackjack is also a gamblers favorite, as the friendly odds mean that you stand a fair chance of walking away with more money than you started with if you play your cards right.
Unfortunately, in any casino game you are always going to be doomed to failure over a long enough period of time. You may win every now and then, but the games are always going to give the house a bigger edge, so you cannot expect to consistently win money. However, if you are prepared to pay for your entertainment through your losses, this should not be too much of a problem for you.
Online Poker
One of the biggest attractions in online poker is the fact that you can directly compete with players from around the world. In a casino you are effectively a one-man show, as you battle against the odds in the hopes of getting lucky. However, in online poker you have to try and outsmart and out bluff your opponents to win their money, which adds an all important skill factor to the game.
If there is skill involved in a game, then it means that the game can be beaten. So as you might be able to guess, it is perfectly possible to consistently win money from online poker. It may take time and practice before you have the ability to regularly outplay your opponents, but there is no reason why you couldn’t add some extra money to your monthly income through poker if you play the game well.
This may all sound like fun, but the biggest downside to poker is that it can be a pretty slow game. If you have a love for poker, then you will not mind the slow pace of the game and the time it takes to win money, but as a casual gambler it can get a little boring. If you’re into fast gameplay and big wins, then online poker may not be for you.
Casino & Poker Conclusion
In review, if you want big wins and fast action, then online casino is your best bet. However, if you want to play in a slower but more skilful game that will allow you to consistently win money, then give poker a try. However, it is important to remember that it will take a while before you develop the ability to win money from poker, so don’t expect to be a top player in your first session, it will come with time!
But no matter which game you decide to play, I wish you good luck! And you can always check out our different sections on Gambling101.org to learn a little more about the best online casinos and internet poker rooms in the world, as well as how to play each one and get yourself better educated about EVERYTHING gambling.
“Patatino” Hits World Record Pot at RailHeaven!
September 13, 2008
High Stakes regular Patatino - rumored to be yet another account from renowned billionaire Guy Laliberte - hit a pretty big milestone this week. On Friday afternoon, playing on Full Tilt Poker $500/$1000 NLHE table RailHeaven, Patatino took down a $609K+ pot from one of his fiercest rivals, Hac “Trex313” Dang, holding against the board with just a pair of deuces and avoiding a multitude of draws and over cards en route to the largest pot won in online poker history!
The news has been spreading fast amongst many of the biggest poker media outlets and forums, so its no surprise that it’s being reported here on Gambling101. I mean personally it was absolutely one of the sickest things I had ever seen at this particular table, as Trex called a 3-bet reraise ALL-IN from Patatino after a flop of T 6 8 (with 2 diamonds falling). Now at first, I thought for sure it was either a made straight versus a set or two pair, but what they flipped up just absolutely blew my mind considering there was just a meager $600,000+ in the middle (El ohhhhh Elz) : Trex313 with Jd 9d and Patatino with Qd 2d!
Both players were banking their stacks on flush draws and live cards galore - and that was with the turn and river still to come - just wow! When the turn paired up Patatino’s deuce, it was all up to the mighty river to decide if Trex would be able to come from behind and take away this pot with a straight card filler or one of his 2 over cards. Unfortunately for Hac Dang, his chances of felting Patatino would not come on this day, as the river bricked out, shipping the 600 dimes over to everyone’s favorite fishy over at Full Tilt Poker.
CardRunners and Stox Poker Form HUGE Alliance.
September 10, 2008
Popular Training Sites Merged Together.
A big announcement was made today regarding CardRunners and Stox Poker, two of the biggest Poker Training websites in the world. It was revealed that both of these giants will be merging their two brands together to form one of the biggest alliances this particular niche has ever seen.
The merge was announced just as membership for both of the sites had been hitting all-time highs all throughout 2008, and CardRunners co-founder Taylor Caby couldn’t be any happier about the move.
“We’re delighted to add breadth and depth to our poker training resources while delivering a decisive competitive advantage to more than 14,000 members,” said Caby. “Members now have two separate platforms to choose from as well as a no-sign up fee option which many customers have requested. Whether you are new to poker or playing nose-bleed stakes, we’ll make sure you’re ready with the top resources behind you.”
The merger also means added value for any new customers looking to improve their game as well. Effective immediately, both of the sites will be waiving the signup fee (normally $99) and also be giving a nice monthly discount on top of that. This will definitely rival any current deals sites like PokerPwnage and RealPokerTraining have to offer from their own companies, so it’ll be fun to monitor them in the future to see if they might make any similar moves to compete with CR and Stox.
As of right now, members of RPT and Pwnage have declined to comment on the recent announcement. I hope to talk to “HerschelW” of PokerPwnage soon enough to get some added insight on what this might mean for the poker training world and how it may affect any future business.
First-Class Casino and Poker Room.
PokerStars 