Gambling Blog

Atlantic City’s biggest ever poker contest kicked off this week with over 1,300 players taking part. 

The Borgata Winter Poker Open’s first event featured a range of professional and amateur players, as well as some internet gamers trying their luck. 

Staged at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, the two-week tournament has 13 main events with prize pots ranging from $120 to a possible $1.5 million. 

Celebrity players and famous faces from the poker world taking part in this week’s first event included Matt Glantz and Men “The Master” Nguyen. 

New York player Vinny Ferraro said: “Players were ready to burst the moment the cards hit the felt.” 

He added that the Borgata Winter Poker Open is the best poker tournament held on the east coast. 

Buy-ins for World Poker Tour events are up for grabs for online players taking part in freeroll tournaments from PokerListings.com and Bodog.com. 

Female professional poker player Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh will now be able to communicate with her fans following the launch of her own website. 

Ms Leigh, who has been labelled FHM’s sexiest poker player in the past, hopes that the new site will increase her interaction with the poker community. 

Following the launch of the gambling portal, she said that she was thrilled about being able to communicate more intimately with her fan base. 

Commenting on the effect of poker on a wider level and the role her peers can play in making the world a better place, she added: “We as poker players are truly blessed. 

“I believe that the poker community needs more people like Barry Greenstein and Liz Leau - people that … continue to help those less fortunate.” 

The site is appealing to companies which think that they could benefit from marketing opportunities at the portal. 

Jennicide.com hails from the player’s nickname, which she was issued as a 12-year-old and has used on the poker circuit for her whole career.

The Swiss Casino de Montreux, situated on Lake Geneva, is the venue awaiting online poker players who enter satellites at Betfair Poker this month. 

Betfair Poker is providing its players with the opportunity to qualify for an event at the casino which has a mountain backdrop in a town famous for its jazz festivals. 

Satellite buy-ins are priced from $8.80 and the overall prize package is worth $9,000 – a €5,550 ($7,188) entry fee and $1,750 for flights, accommodation and spending money. 

The poker event is part of the Showdown Poker Tour, which expects many of Europe’s finest card players to attend the Swiss leg. 

Betfair Poker’s satellites give amateur online players the chance to mix it with the big boys, as well offering a free holiday to snowy Europe. 

Commenting on the event, Ben Fried, head of poker at the website, said “The ski slopes are nearby so the on-tilt players may find themselves off-piste if they make an early exit.” 

The Showdown Poker Tour visits a number of Europe’s most famous casinos including Casino Marienlyst – the oldest gambling house in Denmark. 

A high school teacher has scooped over $2,000 in cash after winning an online poker freeroll tournament.
 

The Sacramento teacher, using his poker name of my-skrill, took home $2,300 in prize money after playing in a $10,000 freeroll event staged by PokerListings.com and Bodog.com.
 

Having only started playing in spring 2006, the teacher is a relative newcomer to the online game and claimed this win was his biggest yet.
 

“I was fortunate to have good cards early on. I built up my stack and was able to use it to push others around for much of the competition,” said the winner.
 

He added that he intended to use the prize money to build up his bankroll even further.

Established 13 years ago, Bodog.com Entertainment runs an online gaming site and also has a record label with an annual battle of the bands talent search.

Fortune Lounge has revealed the year’s first big winners of its online casino jackpots.
 

Internet gamer George F saw in the new year with a progressive prize win of over $20,000 while playing Jackpot Deuces at 7Sultans Online Casino on January 1st 2007.
 

Meanwhile, fellow online player Anthony F cashed in the next day with a win of more than $11,000 on the same game at Vegas Palms.
 

“When I hit that jackpot my eyes almost fell out, I kept thinking this can’t be,” said the Vegas Palms victor.
 

“As far as my winnings go, I just booked my cruise to Hawaii for March this year.”
 

As well as 7Sultans and Vegas Palms, Fortune Lounge also features PokerTime Poker Room and Platinum Play Casino Online on its list of gaming sites.

The 7Sultans site claims to offer gamers more than 210 casino playing options including online slots and keno.

Three poker cheats have pleaded guilty to cheating at play, with two of them being given nine-month prison sentences. 

Found guilty under the 1846 Gaming Act at Southwark crown court, the group of poker criminals had used spy equipment to win around £250,000 ($490,318) in half a dozen London casinos. 

The group filmed cards that were being dealt and sent the images to an outside van, which in turn relayed information to another member of the gang who was seated at the same table. 

Players involved in the scam were found out when casino staff became suspicious of the winning run. 

The game in which the fraudsters were rumbled was three-card poker, when the woman involved in the plot made a £3,520 profit after betting £2,500 in a session. 

An online poker tool was launched last year to help protect players from card-game cheats. 

PokerBodyguard, from Advanced Interactive Marketing, keeps a check on opponents’ histories and previous poker table activity. 

Online card players at Titan Poker can now access the site’s games in Norwegian - bringing the number of languages available at the portal to nine. 

Following the move, a “huge influx” of Norwegian players have taken their virtual seats at Titan Poker’s card tables, the site has stated. 

English, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Turkish, French, German and Polish are the other nationalities catered for by the internet gambling destination. 

Titan Poker’s decision to provide more language options is part of an ongoing process of expansions and upgrades. 

All new players to the site are given the option to choose the language of their software before downloading the Titan Poker program. 

Games available at the gambling portal include Texas Hold’em and Omaha - the latter can be played with a pot limit or not, depending on the poker fan’s choice. 

International gaming site InterXgaming will hold a forum freeroll poker challenge later this month, the online gambling destination has announced. 

There is more than one reason to play the tournament too, as prizes affect both the individual and the collective forum group. 

This is because individuals will win prize money, while at the same time the forum of the event winner will receive a year’s supply of monthly freeroll tournaments. 

InterXgaming’s poker challenge will take place on January 27th 2007 and plays a part in the site’s updated and improved service. 

Commenting on the developments at the site, Terry Stevens, interXbet product manager, said: “We didn’t want users to get overwhelmed by too much information which is rarely used anyway.” 

He added that the aim of the site was to enable users to fee comfortable to ensure they utilize the services at hand. 

InterXgaming provides casino and sports betting, in addition to its poker offering. 

Math graduate Ryan Daut has won $1.5 million at PokerStars.com’s Caribbean Adventure game.
 

The poker player had to peg back fellow amateur card shark Isaac Haxton, who led with $9.2 million in chips going into the final day.
 

Following his victory, Mr Daut, who is 22 years old and from New Jersey, said that it would take a while before things sank in.
 

“I’m really excited and all, but it’s going to hit me later tonight,” Mr Daut remarked at the end of play.
 

“I’m just going to be overjoyed,” he added.
 

Caribbean Adventure took place at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas, and contained a prize pool of $7.3 million.

In addition to Mr Daut’s wallet being boosted, he also won a World Poker Tour bracelet for his efforts.
 

PokerStars.com describes itself as the world’s largest poker site, with the best software and games selection.

New online casino games have been launched by software specialist Net Entertainment. 

The firm states that its latest gambling platform is designed to be easily integrated into existing systems and can be used by both established and new gaming sites, reports Online Casino News. 

In addition, the company hopes that its roulette creates a gaming experience which is as close to the real thing as possible in terms of sight and sound. 

Johan Ohman, chief executive of the internet software provider, claims: “I have seen no other online roulette which even comes close to what we now can offer.” 

Entitled CasinoModule, the system also features a range of other games, including a mini-slot, scratch tickets and standard slots. 

Net Entertainment says it has already secured contracts to supply the gaming platform to Maltese sports betting site Tipico, as well as Eurolinx in Scandinavia. 

A jury in London is faced with the decision of whether poker is a game of luck or skill. 

The online poker industry will be eyeing the landmark case at Snaresbrook Crown Court, where the jury will decide whether the chairman of a private club broke the law by hosting poker games without a gambling licence. 

In his defence, the chairman is set to claim that poker is a game of skill and therefore does not require a licence under the Gambling Act, reports Poker Gazette. 

Prosecution QC Graham Trembath said: “The essence of this case may well be…is poker a game of skill or is it a game of chance or is it a game combining skill and chance.” 

An updated version of the UK’s Gambling Act received royal assent in 2005, with the government aiming for it to be fully implemented by September this year. 

Online gambling company Expekt.com has strengthened its portfolio of games by bringing online bingo to its webpages.

According to Per Widerstrom, chief executive officer of the company, online bingo will be “a great addition” to Expekt.com’s selection of games.

Expekt.com has chosen Parlay Entertainment to provide the internet bingo technology needed to offer the game to a worldwide audience.

Andrew Branscombe, vice president of sales for Parlay Entertainment, is positive about how the partnership will unfold.

“As the demand for online bingo grows worldwide, Expekt.com is in an excellent position to serve the global bingo marketplace,” he said.

Mr Branscombe added that Expekt.com can help bring the “massively popular” game of bingo to a variety of different markets.

Expekt.com was founded in 1999 and is one of the largest online gambling groups in Scandinavia. It is also available to gamblers in 23 different languages.

Poker supermodel Cindy Margolis will be present online to take on anyone who wants to challenge her at the card game. 

The actress and poker fan, who is known as one of the most downloaded stars on the internet, will be taking her seat at internet gambling destination Tropical Poker. 

Following the announcement, Ms Margolis said that she was positive the Tropical Poker brand would suit her. 

She added that she could not be happier at joining the site, on which she will be available to play against every Wednesday and Saturday for 90 minutes a day. 

“We are very excited to be working with Cindy Margolis,” said Cynthia Popov, public relations manager for Tropical Poker. 

“She has tremendous popularity both on and off the internet and we are thrilled to have her represent us in the media, at special events and in the online community.” 

Tropical Poker holds a $1,000-guaranteed tournament every week, however, if more than 67 players register to play, the prize pot starts to grow. 

Freelance writing for the gambling industry is the topic of the new book from Brian Konradt, detailing the experiences of himself and other poker writers.