A very weird and scary story that we covered during the European Poker Tour Barcelona has come to a sort of conclusion that seems to be sitting bad with a lot of different players and has almost no one happy. Jeans “Jean89” Kyllonen took to twoplustwo.com the other day to let everyone know that his case seems to have come to a conclusion, or at least a resting place for a long time to come, as he put it. The unfortunate thing in most people’s eyes is that nothing was really done and PokerStars has appeared uncaring and negligent to some.
Kyllonen posted a very long post that included both story and direct quotes and emails from PokerStars' employees that seem to imply that they were not exceptionally attentive in their dealings with him. These emails are not satisfactory to a lot of people because they seem to avoid the issue and are scant on details about what is actually happening. Further, they do not affirm with any kind of proof that something was actually sent to the proper authorities like Kyllonen had asked for. The reason for this insistence is because there have been two separate times now that he thought things got sent to the proper authorities but ultimately they were not. Also, despite Kyllonen wanting to pass along some information to help the investigation from F-Secure, a global technology security company, he was unable to do so. F-Secure had looked at his machine and managed to find the exact time that the USB stick was inserted to load the Trojan onto his laptop and could possibly help pinpoint where the criminals were by tracking the Trojan. Those two pieces of information could prove very useful in helping determine who could have broken into the hotel room and where they may be located.
As the conclusion was not satisfactory to most, the thread in which this was posted has taken off with a lot of different views and allegations, most not that flattering of PokerStars. The most common reactions seem to be that either PokerStars handled this situation exceptionally poorly and have erased some of the good will they have built up over the years, or that it was an inside job. The latter of those is a popular sentiment, but isn’t really steeped in much evidence. However, the damage of said words could still easily be done and shouldn’t be passed off as a simple overreaction. Many posters were also hoping for PokerStars to post in the thread with some answers and assurances that they have terminated their contract with The Arts Hotel in Barcelona. This has yet to happen even 36 hours after the initial post by Kyllonen. If PokerStars or a representative from the company does say something in the thread, this story will be updated to reflect that.
It bears repeating once more that if you are in a hotel, ensuring that all electronics are stored properly and out of sight is an absolute necessity. Also, if you notice any suspicious activity from your computer or other device, it is best to be safe rather than sorry and take it to a professional who can help solve the issue. Kyllonen is a good example of how to handle yourself, but much can be learned from his ordeal and PokerUpdate suggests that everyone study his case and the results to ensure that if they face a problem such as this in the future, they are properly prepared to deal with it and attempt to get a final resolution.
While this story may have come to a close, the resolution is less than satisfactory. Many players are calling for PokerStars to do more and to also announce that they will not return to The Arts Hotel. It is still unclear if they will take this step, but if they do not, there might be a lot of negative backlash from players who are scared for their safety. Any further updates to this story will be posted as an addendum, so if you want to keep track of this story, make sure you keep it bookmarked here to get the latest updates and news!
Update 12/20/2013: The story appears to have finally come to a close with Lee Jones having made a post to explain some more and own up to some of the mistakes that were made during the investigation. Lee Jones’ response covered a few of the biggest problems and issues that were raised in the thread, but didn’t really address if they were going to renew their contract with the hotel and what future considerations are going to be made.
The major thing that PokerStars wanted to address was that they do not believe that any of their employees are involved in the break-in, and they do not believe that any evidence suggests this. With that being said, they do seem open if someone can prove something they need to look at, they just aren’t aware of it right now. As far as liability is concerned, PokerStars cannot do that much according to Jones. There is a lot of different European data laws that make it difficult for them to really disclose anything, and as a company policy they do not comment on efforts that are being made in certain investigations. While this is not a satisfactory answer for some, it does seem to make sense and it accepts responsibility for mistakes that were made.
Jens Kyllonen also commented further in the thread and said that he is not going to pursue the investigation any further, because he does not have the energy to do so and is worried about repercussions from individuals who perpetrated the crime. He cited knowing of people who have had family members threatened as his main fear behind continuing to pursue the case. Many are not happy to see this resolution as posters in the thread want to see the criminals brought to justice. It’s however very difficult to be angry with him, as he is worried for his and his families safety, and that’s noble and appropriate.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
Poker News
European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague’s little brother, Eureka Prague, has grown up and is ready to challenge the current status quo in the Czech Republic.
The mini-poker festival surprised everybody as the Main Event became an instant record-breaker for the largest ever Eureka tournament. A total of 1,315 players gathered in Prague to take part in the €1,100 event and try to take a slice from the €1,275,550 prize pool. Just to put the matter into proper perspective, the previous record attendance for a Eureka main event was 644!
Amateurs and pros alike battled each other for five crazy days and one German conquered them all. It was Dmitry Holdeew in his first shot at a Eureka title. He started the final day third in chips behind the more experienced British tournament expert Steven “stevie444” Chidwick and Canadian online guru Ami “UhhMee” Barer.
Although he doesn’t have major results in live play (a $13,264 cash in one 2012 WSOP side event being his most notable) and considers himself a recreational cash game poker player, Holdeew played like a real champ and eliminated both Chadwick and Barer to win the Eureka Prague Main Event. What’s even more impressive are the numbers tied to the German’s opponents: they cashed in astronomical profits by playing online – around $9.5 million.
Chadwick was the first to leave the final table among the three. He took a chance by shoving his 20 big-blind stack with King-Ten only to get called by Holdeew, who had pocket sevens. The German dodged any card that could have potentially put stevie444 in front and entered heads-up play with a slight lead. Chadwick finished third and took home €92,500. According to the PokerStars Blog, the Brit has won almost $4 million online and over $1.5 million in live tournament action.
Heads-up play lasted two hours before the winner was decided. The chip lead changed sides four times during the battle and two all-in pots were needed for Holdeew to take down the Eureka trophy. In the first all-in, the German lost when his pocket fours didn’t improve against Barer’s pocket eights. However, the second all-in knocked out the Canadian. Barer check-raised with all his stack on the last turn of the tournament with a flush draw and a potential overcard. Holdeew took a closer look at the cards and the pot and decided to call. He had top two pair and was an 82% favorite to win the pot at showdown. The river brought Barer the top pair but it wasn’t enough; he finished second and collected €131,400. The Canadian is a well-known MTT grinder, having won over $5.5 million online under the nickname UhhMee.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
IT security company F-Secure has confirmed that a trojan program was installed on a poker player’s laptop during the EPT Barcelona earlier this year.
Back in July, multiple players reported a security breach in their rooms at the Hotel Arts where players were staying, and reported laptops mysteriously disappearing and reappearing.
The first report was publicized by Jens “Jeans” Kyllonen, who then took his laptop to be looked at by the experts at F-Secure.
In a detailed blog post published Wednesday, F-Secure identified a “RAT”—a Remote Access Trojan (RAT)—was present on the laptop. The security professionals confirmed that the program was installed via a USB port during the period of time that Jens originally reported that his laptop had disappeared from his hotel room.
The blog post at F-Secure shows screenshots explaining how the RAT would enable the fraudsters to use a remote view of a player’s screen to see the hole cards during play.
According to F-Secure, the RAT is “ written in Java and uses obfuscation, but isn’t all that complicated. Since it’s in Java, the malware can run in any platform (Mac OS, Windows, Linux).”
Jens’ room mate Henri Jaakkola was also found to have had the same RAT installed. Other players quickly suspected similar occurances, including Scott Seiver at the EPT Berlin and Jason Koon at the EPT Deauville.
Event organizers PokerStars issued a statement to pokerfuse at the time saying: “While we are not an investigative body, we are providing information and evidence to law enforcement organizations that will help them find and prosecute the offenders… . We are working with our tour hotels to ensure that best practice security procedures are in place to minimize the risk of such thefts and/or tampering. And we are providing information and guidance to our players about how they can best protect themselves from theft of or tampering with their laptops.”
F-Secure decided that the attack type deserved its own name, “Sharking,” defined as “targeted attacks against professional poker players (a.k.a. poker sharks). It is similar to Whaling attacks which are targeted at high profile business managers.”
http://pokerfuse.com/
Yesterday's Senate subcommittee hearing had less fireworks than anticipated, but Sheldon Adelson's anti-online gambling stance managed to be labeled as "hypocritical" by two lawmakers.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) actually used the word when speaking to Adelson's mouthpiece, Andrew Abboud, the Las Vegas Sands Corporation Vice President of Government Relations and Community Development. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) didn't use the term specifically, but inferred as much after poking holes in Abboud's testimony.
That testimony took place before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and was available via webcast at the government website and on C-Span for those who preferred watching on television. "The State of Online Gaming" was the hearing's title, with subtitles along the lines of the "Internet Poker Freedom Act" as introduced by Barton in July and the "current regulatory landscape" that finds individual states enacting online gambling legislation due to the DoJ's reinterpretation of the 1961 Wire Act in 2011.
Abboud, in denouncing the legalization of Internet gambling at the behest of Adelson, held up a Smartphone and said that regulation would turn "every [mobile] device into a casino" and that such a scenario "is going too far" with regard to the proliferation of gambling. He further added that "simply because we can [legislate online gambling] doesn't mean we should."
Schakowsky and Barton both pointed out that the Venetian, a Las Vegas Sands' property, marketed the use of mobile devices for making wagers. They mildly attacked Abboud's testimony in which he called for any talk of online gambling legislation to cease and for the Wire Act's previous interpretation to be reinstated.
Also given five minutes each to testify were Les Bernal, the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling; Rachel Volberg, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts and a recognized authority on problem gambling; Kurt Eggert, a gambling law professor at Chapman University; Geoff Freeman, American Gaming Association (AGA) president and CEO; and John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).
Bernal is against all forms of gambling whether in a casino or online and he offered statistics that show that problem gamblers account for 40% to 60% of all gambling revenue. Volberg rightly called for more money to be spent on researching and combating addictive gambling. Eggert firmly dislikes bots and believes that online poker players and gamblers should have a wealth of information available such as casino advantage percentages and ratings of poker players based on skill levels in order to make more informed wagering decisions.
Freeman and Pappas were both well-prepared and highly effective in providing reasons why online poker should be legalized. Freeman made it clear that "online gaming is here to stay" and that "the demand [for Internet wagering] is extraordinary and not going away." Frank Fahrenkopf's successor correctly pointed out that many worldwide jurisdictions have effectively embraced and regulated online gambling.
Pappas spoke along those same lines, citing the success of regulated Internet gambling in Europe for more than a decade. He stressed that the U.S. can achieve the same results. Pappas also mentioned that underaged online gambling has not been reported in any of the states that have launched legalized Internet wagering thus far. The PPA honcho added testimony backing Barton's HR 2666 as a bill high on consumer protections.
Subcommittee members are preparing additional written questions for the witnesses and will review the answers received. It is the hope of online poker players that further hearings are scheduled in order to continue on the path of federally-regulated online poker throughout the U.S. with each state having the option to opt out at their discretion.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
Two days ago, 2013 WSOP Player of the Year Daniel Negreanu talked on Twitter about Rafael Nadal’s intentions of moving the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague charity event on clay. The move was never made, but the tennis star still prevailed by beating Negreanu on his own turf: the poker felt.
Nadal came out victorious after four hours of play, knocking out five different players from football legends to Olympic gold medalists and one poker professional. But what a pro: one of the best in the world who won $19.4 million by competing at the poker tables worldwide. “He came in really solid and he didn’t make any mistakes. And then he knew when to make adjustments, to play more aggressively, and he did,” Negreanu said of the winner.
The proker pro also praised the other four athletes that participated in the €100,000 EPT Prague Charity Challenge: Ronaldo, Andriy Shevchenko, Alberto Tomba and Fatima Moreira de Melo. “I’ve played a lot of charity things, with like Hollywood celebs and different things, but I notice with these guys, the athletes, they got coaching. They were prepared. They had much more of a killer instinct. Anytime you get to the top of a craft, you just have that winning instinct. I felt like, on average, they all exceeded my expectations on how they were going to play,” Negreanu told the PokerStars Blog.
The game was very competitive for the first three hours with none of the players wanting to bust out. Eventually, Tomba was the first one to experience the bitter taste of defeat. He shoved the flop with pocket sixes on a 2-10-J board and Negreanu called with top pair. Ronaldo was the next player down at the hands of Moreira de Melo: both of them were all-in pre-flop and neither one connected with the board, but Moreira de Melo held the victorious Ace high.
After that, it was Nadal’s time to shine. Following a conservative start to the game that brought him to the brink of elimination, the Spaniard came back strong, playing very aggressively and moving all-in at just the right spots. He doubled up twice thanks to Negreanu, who was eventually eliminated in a three-way all-in pot against Nadal and Shevchenko.
Sheva quickly followed, leaving huge chip-leader Rafa Nadal heads-up with Dutch Olympic field hockey gold medalist, Moreira de Melo. The Dutch put up quite a fight, although she had a 10-to-1 chip disadvantage. She got back into the game after several all-ins, but couldn’t survive till the end. In the last hand of the event, Nadal took all the tournament chips with Ace-Ten to secure the top spot.
All the winnings, including Nadal’s €50,000 first place cash prize, will be donated to charity.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
Fireworks may erupt at an online gambling hearing set before a House subcommittee tomorrow as pro and anti-gambling proponents have been invited to provide testimony.
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will review "The State of Online Gaming" beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10. The witness list has been released and as reported by PokerUpdate last Friday, Sheldon Adelson's voice will be heard at tomorrow's sit-down.
Adelson, the casino mogul who has riches of about $28 billion according to the latest figures released by Forbes, is highly critical of online gambling regulation. He has vowed to fight the spread of Internet gaming legislation throughout the U.S. and has been forming a coalition aimed at accomplishing that goal.
The Las Vegas Sands CEO won't be stepping in front of the microphone to spew his anti-online gambling rhetoric tomorrow. That duty will fall to Andrew Abboud, the Sands' Vice President of Government Relations and Community Development. Expect Abboud to parrot the views of Adelson as he warns committee members of the perceived dangers of legalized online gambling.
Also on the anti-gambling team will be Les Bernal, the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, and Rachel Volberg, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst . Bernal is opposed to the government depending on tax dollars that come from citizens who blow their hard-earned money on gambling. Volberg is widely known as an expert on problem gambling.
Testifying on behalf of player rights will be the executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), John Pappas. The PPA counts its membership at over 1 million strong and has been lobbying for online poker legislation at both the federal and state levels for several years. A federal scheme is preferred, but since there has not been much movement among U.S. legislators on the issue recently, the PPA has been focusing its most recent efforts on state regulations.
Geoff Freeman, American Gaming Association (AGA) president and CEO, will also speak on behalf of Internet gambling legalization. The successor to Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr. has been at the helm for almost six months and has an opportunity by testifying to begin carving out an AGA legacy of his own after following in the footsteps of his highly-respected predecessor.
The last witness slated to speak will be Chapman University Law Professor Kurt Eggert. A gambling law expert, Eggert also testified before the same subcommittee two years ago. Perhaps the voice of reason among pro and anti forces, Eggert previously mentioned the need for legislation in order to protect consumers. But he also firmly believes that several troubling issues must be addressed such as safeguards to protect recreational players from those more skilled and the need to remove bots from online poker sites.
The hearing will focus on the "current regulatory landscape" with regard to online gambling. But several other issues also on the docket include whether regulation on the federal level is needed considering the fact that states are well on their way to enacting their own schemes, how Internet gambling laws are enforced in jurisdictions that are now up and running, how casino games differ from the skill required to play poker, and properly protecting consumers via regulation.
The DoJ ruling in 2011 that better clarified the intent behind the 1961 Wire Act as it pertains to society today, as well as Rep. Joe Barton's Internet Poker Freedom Act that was introduced in July, will also be part of tomorrow's hearing. Those interested in watching can view the proceedings via live webcast at energycommerce.house.gov.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
The landscape of legal online gaming in the United States is changing quickly as more states look to complete regulation of online gaming or begin to investigate the viability of said gaming in their state. To help keep you up to date and abreast of all the rumors and facts, PokerUpdate has written this handy column to break everything down for you!
Pennsylvania to Investigate Online Gaming Viability
Senate Resolution 273 passed with nearly unanimous support from the assembled Senate members in Pennsylvania to take a major step towards regulation by approving an investigation into the viability of online gaming. This decision comes six months after the idea was initially tabled in subcommittee as lawmakers decided to take a wait and see approach. With the passing of this resolution, the Senate has decided that it has seen enough success in Nevada and New Jersey to warrant at least holding hearings on the issues to find out if Pennsylvania is correct in its desire to have regulated online gambling.
While this might sound like a pretty mundane and inane development, it’s a huge first step in the process that is needed if there is any hope of the eventual passage of gaming regulations in the state. Further, with such overwhelming support not only from the legislature, but also the governor, it’s easy to see that this gaming regulation foray has serious legs and might result in a favorable outcome for those living in Pennsylvania. While it’s still exceptionally early, these positive movements show potential, so those living in Pennsylvania should spend a few minutes and contact your local representative and tell them that you want gaming in your state and that this is a major issue for you. Contacting those in power and letting your opinion be heard is the best way to get the movement you desire on any piece of regulation, and online gaming is no different.
ACH and eWallets Provide Hope for New Jersey Residents
U.S. federal law aimed at prohibiting financial transactions between players and gambling sites is once again rearing its ugly head and making life harder for those who want to legally play online poker in New Jersey. High failure rates of credit card deposits have reduced the public to find other means to get money online. Luckily, that’s been made a bit easier by the fact that ACH and eWallets have been a viable solution for the residents of the state.
ACH is a direct bank transaction that allows users to bypass their credit card company completely and fund their accounts from their available money in the bank. While this might make some customers a little bit weary as they are sharing banking information online, the fact that New Jersey closely regulates the sites that operate within its borders should reduce that fear for the most part. If you are still a bit too uncomfortable, there are different online eWallets that provide the ability to fund an account with little personal information being used. Different eWallets provide different options for depositing and research should be done to find out what is best for those looking to put money in these eWallets. The reason that these two options work better is that banks in New jersey are able to allow transfers to gaming sites much easier because they will have less requests from illegal off-shore gaming sites and eWallets work as a wallet and not as a credit instrument like credit card companies.
New Hampshire Prepares for another Attempt at a Casino Bill
When a bill in May failed to pass that would have allowed online gaming in New Hampshire, many feared that it was something that might not be picked up again by proponents not willing to put their political capital on the line. This fear has turned out to be less of a factor than previously envisioned, as another bill is being prepared to be introduced by the Gaming and Regulatory Oversight Authority by at least December 15th. The changes to this new bill are still unknown as it is still being finalized, but it’s a positive sign for those hoping to get legalized online gaming in New Hampshire and it proves the notion is not completely dead. The northeast has seen some of the greatest successes in regulated online poker as New Jersey and Delaware have legalized online gaming and many other states are taking a serious look at the viability in their states. When the bill is introduced, it’s again important for the residents of New Hampshire to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear about how important online gaming is to them by informing their elected officials.
Majority of Americans Support Regulated Poker
OnlinePokerReport.com recently conducted a survey that asked 1,500 Americans what they thought of online poker being regulated and over 60% of people asked were either strongly in favor of or at worst neutral to the idea. Full data can be found here. While this is a small survey and might have some issues in terms of neutrality of respondents, it’s clear that online poker regulation is something that the public is not against. This data also flies directly in the face of what Las Vegas Sands CEO and online gaming detractor Sheldon Adelson has said. He had a survey conducted that he claims reveals that there is strong opposition to online poker and gambling in the U.S. This survey, however, has come under some heat as the questions that have been released are of dubious quality and only four states were polled during the research. While the truth of where the public probably stands is somewhere in the middle of what each group found, it’s important to note that there is research out there that has a significant sample size that shows Adelson might be wrong about his assumptions. A great way to show Adelson that you are not a fan of his stance on online gaming is to boycott his properties and make your voice heard through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
One of the premier iPoker skins, Titan Poker, has decided to continue offering games to Canadian citizens despite an earlier policy announcement that it would be leaving the Canadian market.
The official Titan Poker Twitter account confirmed this move, but very little other information has been given as to why it has decided to stay in the Great White North and why it had planned to leave in the first place. The best that can be deciphered is that it had something to do with local government policies and regulations, but it is difficult to get any clearer than that.
In an attempt to get players to continue making deposits, Titan Poker is offering some “Welcome Back” bonuses. However, it is unclear if this will have the desired effect, as some players may be weary of yet another policy shift by the company. Titan Poker and Mansion Poker decided to stop offering games in Denmark, Norway and Canada a week ago, but Titan Poker has since decided to service the Canadian market after all. The other countries are still on the list of jurisdictions that Titan is going to withdraw from. Further, Mansion Poker has yet to make an announcement cancelling it’s leaving of the Canadian market.
While poker is in a grey area in Canada, some problems have arisen, especially in recent months, with Canadian banks and institutions not processing poker payments and some banks shutting accounts down if a player conducts business with poker sites. These cases, however, are not uniform and trying to draw that many conclusions becomes problematic as most issues seem too anecdotal at best. This change in policy, though, should put poker players more at ease and they shouldn’t worry about a less favorable Canadian market.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
A hearing next week before a House subcommittee that will analyze the current online gambling regulatory landscape will likely take into account the anti-Internet gambling stance of billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.
Poker Players Alliance (PPA) VP of player relations Rich Muny stated on his weekly update on the PPA website that Adelson's coalition formed to persuade U.S. lawmakers not to enact online gambling legislation "are lobbying hard for state and federal bans on online poker." Muny expects the voice of that opposition to "be at the hearing in full force, opposing our right to play at every turn."
The House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee formed under the House Energy & Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing on "The State of Online Gaming" for Tuesday, December 10, 2013 and have rescheduled the start time to 12:30 p.m. Those interested in watching the proceedings can do so via live webcast at energycommerce.house.gov.
An expert witness list of those on the docket to provide testimony has not been announced as of this writing. But Muny has confirmed that the PPA is one of the invitees. The task of testifying will likely be handled by PPA executive director John Pappas. It is not known if Adelson will testify, or if that duty will fall to one of his minions.
Muny points out that previous online gambling hearings have been on the short end of exciting, but anticipates Tuesday's sit-down to be "hotly contested." The reason for that is the anti-online gambling crowd led by Adelson will likely be allowed to spew their rhetoric opposing Internet poker and gambling legislation.
Adelson's latest rant was an editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Dec. 1 in which the 80-year-old cited a recent survey indicating that "a majority of Americans are in favor of 'live' casino gaming," but that "more than 70 percent disapprove of Internet gambling."
He then goes on to attack Internet technology and accuses online gambling proponents of being hypocritical, seemingly as a defense against those who call him a hypocrite for making a fortune from casino gambling but opposing any forms of regulated wagering via the Internet. Adelson chairs the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates land-based gaming establishments worldwide.
"So let me get this straight," Adelson wrote. "Proponents say that technology exists to effectively regulate Internet gambling to stop minors, addicted gamblers, money launderers and organized crime from accessing it. But the technology does not exist to block the unscrupulous foreign websites from targeting those same audiences. Apparently, the technology exists to serve the needs of Internet gambling proponents, but doesn’t exist to serve the needs of those of us who oppose it."
Adelson appears in 11th place on Forbes' most recent posting of the wealthiest Americans. He has vowed to spend whatever it takes to sway U.S. lawmakers to view online gambling as the same scourge on society as does he. The outspoken gambling magnate allegedly spent millions backing the Republican party in the 2012 election and his pockets may be just as deep regarding his anti-online gambling stance.
Tuesday's subcommittee agenda includes discussions concerning the ruling made by the DoJ two years ago that found the 1961 Wire Act to pertain only to sports betting. That reinterpretation allowed individual states to legislate online poker and gambling at the state level in the absence of a federal plan. Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey have been first in line to aggressively enact statutes as a result of the DoJ's clarification.
Also to be debated at the online gambling hearing is Texas Rep. Joe Barton's Internet Poker Freedom Act. Barton introduced the proposal in July that seeks to allow online poker while tightening restrictions against Internet casino games. Barton correctly points out in HR 2666 that poker is based on skill and should be legislated as such, apart from gambling that is based on chance when playing casino games such as blackjack, craps, slots and roulette.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
World’s best tennis player, Rafael Nadal, will finally be able to compete fair and square against one of his childhood idols, Brazilian football legend Ronaldo. The battle between the two widely-known sports figures will take place at the poker table in a live charity poker tournament.
The event, part of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague, will be held on December 12, 2013.
It seems that Ronaldo will have a small edge over the tennis star because of his experience. He previously played in live poker tournaments at the Brazil Series of Poker and at the EPT Barcelona. On the other hand, Nadal will make his live poker debut in Prague.
“This is going to be a great event, and it’s one of the few opportunities that I have to take on Rafa and the other athletes on a level playing field. We are all sports professionals, but in completely different fields, and in poker is the level ground on which we can all compete fairly,” Ronaldo said, according to the PokerStars Blog.
Other sport figures announced their participation in the €100,000-guaranteed tournament, including former Ukrainian football player Andriy Shevchenko, Italian skier Alberto Tomba, and Dutch Olympic field hockey gold medalist Fatima Moreira de Melo. The field will also include one of the best poker players in the world, Daniel Negreanu.
http://www.pokerupdate.com/
