Poker series moves to roomier casino

Poker series moves to roomier casino BY BILL ORDINE KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS For nearly a year, poker fans, many of them recent converts, have been watching last year's World Series of Poker on television, following Connecticut patent attorney Greg Raymer's triumph over a record field of more than 2,500 competitors on his way to a whopping grand prize of $5 million in the No-Limit Texas Hold 'em World Championship. And as Raymer's run has been broadcast over and over, poker rooms -- both actual ones in casinos and virtual ones on the Internet -- have been doing incredibly brisk business dealing to players hooked on gambling's runaway craze. With the poker frenzy roiling, participation records will be shattered in a couple of weeks when the 36th World Series of Poker opens in Las Vegas and tens of thousands of players compete in more than 40 events that will be held from June 2 to July 15. The world championship spans the final nine days. For the first time, the tournament will be held mostly away from its birthplace, the former Binion's Horseshoe Casino, now simply known as Binion's, in downtown Vegas. Harrah Entertainment, in its second year as owners of the tournament, will hold all but the final two days of the championship event in a new 60,000-square foot convention center at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, just off the Strip on Flamingo Avenue. When the switch to the Rio was made -- the Horseshoe had been bursting at the seams last year, and the crowds are expected to triple -- it was announced that the last two days of the championship would still be held at Binion's, a parting salute to tradition. While some close to the tournament have said there has been talk about keeping the entire event at the Rio, Binion's -- now owned by a West Virginia-based gaming company -- was still scheduled for its last hurrah in mid-July. Regardless of where the championship bracelet is handed out, organizers are bracing for a maximum field of 6,600 players for the World Championship, which will have a prize pool of more than $60 million, if all seats are sold, and an estimated first-place prize of $7.4 million. In fact, everyone who makes the final table will become a millionaire. However, in addition to the marquee event, the so-called preliminary tournaments, many offering millions in prize money, are also expected to max out on entries. Last year, Scott Fischman, then 23, became the youngest player ever to win two World Series events. Fischman won his two preliminary events in four days, a No-Limit Hold 'em championship that earned him $300,000 and a tournament called HORSE, which included several poker games, for an additional $100,200. TV viewers might remember Fischman as the player who jubilantly flopped backward on a cash-strewn table after one win. With some many players expected to descend on Vegas over six weeks for the tournament, Fischman says it's unrealistic to expect to win again so soon in such a crowded field. "It's going to be unreal," the former casino dealer said. "Whatever they had last year for any event, it will probably be double or triple that. It's really crazy when you think about it, because before last year, the largest tournament ever was the 2003 World Championship when (Chris) Moneymaker won, and that had about 830 players. "You have to be willing to change your goals. If you talk to 1,000 players, 995 will tell you that their goal is to win the World Series. You can't set a goal like that, because you're setting yourself up for a big letdown." Players gain entry to World Series tournaments either by buying a seat -- most preliminaries require a buy-in of $1,000 to $2,500 and the championship is $10,000 -- or by qualifying in so-called satellite tournaments. Satellites are held in either real casinos or on Internet poker Web sites, where players pay smaller buy-ins and vie for a World Series seat. Harrah's officials say checks, some of them in seven figures, have been arriving regularly as satellite tournament sponsors send in their fees for players who have won those stepping-stone events. The opening field for the World Championship will start in three flights July 7-9.

Lawmakers divided on poker bill

Lawmakers divided on poker bill by Liberty Dones for Saipan Tribune House members failed again to reach a consensus on a bill that aims to keep poker establishments away from schools, nurseries, and churches. During a session on Friday, Rep. David Apatang opposed the 250-foot proposed distance as contained in House Bill 14-267, saying that it would hurt a number of poker businesses. H.B. 14-267, authored by Rep. Clyde Norita, provides that no amusement machine shall be operated within 250 feet from the closest boundary of any public or private school, childcare center, nurseries, and churches. It also prohibits operations of these machines adjacent to or within the same facility or complex and under the same roof where commercial laundromats or grocery stores are located. Apatang on Friday moved to amend the bill by reducing it from 250 feet to the current policy of 100 feet. He said that there are poker businesses that are currently located very near the schools. But the motion was defeated during a vote. "I said that the original intent of the bill was 500 feet. The 250 feet is already a compromise. The argument is that it's hurting business-a couple of businesses-and that it's not their fault that schools expand, that schools should be responsible to put up fence to protect its students. But it's our responsibility as community leaders to ensure the safety of all our kids," said Norita. After the defeat of Apatang's motion, Rep. Jesus Attao then offered a provision "grandfathering" the existing businesses. "It's unfair for us to impose that on existing businesses," said Attao. Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider and Norita opposed the "grandfather" provision, saying it would only open up many loopholes in the regulations. They favor giving affected businesses a grace period to relocate their businesses and meet the proposed 250 feet distance. Norita said "grandfathering" certain business "is bending backwards." After a lengthy discussion without consensus, members then agreed to defer action on the bill. Norita said he hopes to have the bill acted on in Tuesday's session. Last March, House members had also decided to defer action on the same bill. Another bill proponent, Rep. Oscar M. Babauta, said that the bill would boost public safety in the inner villages as it aims to remove poker establishments away from villages and schools. As proposed, he said that poker shops would only be allowed to operate along the main thoroughfares, namely the Middle Road and Beach Road. Babauta said there is a compelling concern from the community that "clients have continued to be on the rise." "So we need to control it. This measure prohibits the proliferation of poker [arcades] in the residential areas," said Babauta. The bill also provides that no poker or amusement slot game room shall display signage that is larger than 2 feet high and 4 feet long. "All signs shall be fixed and attached to the front of the building and shall not stand alone," it said. The bill provides that no unlicensed machine shall be kept in any game room. Immediately upon expiration, the machine shall be removed from the premises

Top poker player Tony G named CEO of Poker Champs online poker room

Top poker player Tony G named CEO of Poker Champs online poker room Antanas Guoga, known in the poker world as Tony G was named the CEO of online poker room Poker Champs today, in a move that was welcomed by shareholders. Antanas Guoga, known in the poker world as Tony G was named the CEO of online poker room Poker Champs (www.pokerchamps.com) today, in a move that was welcomed by shareholders. Poker Champs is the online home of Gus Hansen, and Gus personally helped develop, and plan the site. Gus had this to say about Tony’s appointment. “We made a couple decisions yesterday at our General Assembly, and I feel a couple of decisions were made that are steps in the right direction, and will help the marketing side of Poker Champs, and I feel the future is very bright” “At Poker Champs, we have a great tournament program, and a great affiliate program, and I feel we can really take steps toward making Poker Champs one of the truly great sites out there.” Hansen continued Previously the Marketing Director for Poker Champs, Tony G welcomes his new challenge. “I am surprised, and honored to be given the mandate to lead Poker Champs into its next phase of development. I am ready for the exciting challenge that is ahead, and I look forward to creating results.” Said Guoga. In the short period of time that Poker Champs has been in business, the emerging online room has experienced phenomenal growth, and now stands as one of the top rooms on the internet. “Our growth has held at an average of 23% a month since our launch last October. These numbers will be a real challenge to maintain, but all the indicators are positive at the moment.” continues Guoga “I believe the software is our biggest edge. The software has been voted one of the top systems in the business, and I give all credit to our partners at Aglet, who developed the software, and continue to do fantastic work.” Notes Guoga “With the sudden and significant increase in traffic, the Aglet software has run flawlessly. We at Poker Champs owe Aglet a great debt, and I look forward to working with them more, and learning more from them as our partnership continues” One of the few online rooms to be based in a European Union nation (Malta), Poker Champs prides itself on a safe play environment for the player, as well as a stable environment for their money. “We feel we have a license that is very strong, with our license in Malta.” Says Guoga “If a poker room is licensed in a less governed area, like Central America, or the Caribbean, players may be taking a big risk with their money. We want people to feel safe at Poker Champs, and we feel we have a huge edge over the competition in this regard.” Poker Champs boasts top players like Hansen, Erik Sagstrom (an online poker legend, who is arguably the biggest online winner ever), and Tony G himself as shareholders. “With Gus, Erik, and myself constantly evaluating Poker Champs strengths, and working to improve its weaknesses, we have a room that is run with a player mindset. We feel that having a room where top players take an active role in management, not just wear a shirt with a logo on it, is a huge advantage to our player base”

Chartwell Technology pays $4 million for Micropower

Chartwell Technology pays $4 million for Micropower Gambling software company Chartwell Technology Inc. has paid $4 million for online poker developer Micropower Corp. of Gibraltar. "Growth of the online poker market has been exceptional," Chartwell CEO Darold Parken said Friday in a release. "We recognized that, while our overall product suite is very strong, our poker software capabilities needed significant enhancement to quickly capitalize on opportunities. Our acquisition of Micropower provides a huge boost to our software offering and our future development capabilities." Twenty software developers from Micropower will work for Chartwell, he added. Calgary-based Chartwell (TSX:CWH) develops gambling and entertainment software for the Internet and wireless devices, but said it doesn't participate in the online gaming business of its clients. On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Chartwell shares were up 35 cents, nearly four per cent, to $10.10 in early Friday trading.

How To Spot Online Poker Cheating

How To Spot Online Poker Cheating Identifying and avoiding online poker cheats If there is a game to be contested, you can bet there is someone out there who is trying to circumvent the system. It is no different in online poker. But, some players who want to get into online poker are also concerned about the online poker sites, and whether they have stacked the deck in their favor. Players can take solace in knowing that the reputable online poker sites aren’t cheating, and if they are, no one can prove it. There have been numerous unfounded accusations of stacked decks, luring players in with a great string of hands, only to take their money from them with a string of bad hands, and other rumors. Online poker sites work on a RNG (Random Number Generator) to generate the hands that appear on your screen. Most have a RNG that can produce over 200 million different combinations of cards. You are going to have to play quite a few hands before you get a repeat. In fact, I’ll bet that in all of the time you play online, you will never have the exact same cards turn up twice on the flop. Many of the bigger poker sites are audited annually, or more often, to make sure they are not generating too many hands in the house’s favor, and to make sure the odds of turning up certain hands (flushes, straight, full houses) are typical odds. For instance, the odds of turning up a flush by the time the river card turns up if you have two suited cards on the deal, and then two come up on the flop are about 35 per cent. An audit will tell you whether those percentages are staying in line with where they should be. As far as other players cheating, well that’s bound to happen. This happens a few ways: • Two people can bet all of the other players out in order to increase their chances of winning a big pot. This is one form of collusion. • Two or more people can work together and show each other cards. They can then decide their options or ‘outs’ in a particular hand, making them bet accordingly. • Then there are those ‘concerned’ people who inquire about whether or not a poker sites system can be hacked. These questions are usually unanswered because they are often posed more by the ones looking to cheat than the actual concerned cheaters There is a move to protect legitimate gamblers from those who cheat. There are check and balance systems in place at the reputable online poker sites that can detect some cheating -- but not all. The more passive cheating, like the players who sit in the same house and share hands, can’t be detected as easily as the player who is going all in with an unsuited 2, 3, with his partner who has an equally poor hand and matches his bet. Poker sites monitor hands regularly and you can gain some peace of mind knowing that players are caught when they use these underhanded tactics. You can also keep track of the hands yourself, if you are that concerned about cheating by other players. Unfortunately, unless you have hard evidence, most online poker sites don’t do a lot about complaints of this manner. When in doubt, you can always leave the site and go to one where you feel more comfortable. Do your research on the online poker houses and pick the ones where you are more confident about the safety of the users.