PokerWorks

News Nuggets are presented on PokerWorks each week to give readers a glance at some of the big news stories in and around the poker industry. From international poker tournaments to player prop bets, from political happenings to sponsorship deals, game enthusiasts can stay informed with these weekly tidbits of information.

What They’re Playing

WPT Legends of Poker:  It was the second stop of Season 9 of the World Poker Tour, and two starting days brought a total of 462 players to the tables. The lower buy-in of $5K rather than $10K in years past attracted more players but found a smaller prize pool as well. However, the $2,515,072 was used to pay out the top 45 finishers, and the Legends of Poker finally wrapped on August 25 with six players competing at the televised final table. Ultimately, Andy Frankenberger defeated Kyle Wilson to take the title, one that came with a WPT bracelet and $750,000 in cash.

FTP Merit Cyprus Classic:  Two sizeable events made up the Full Tilt Poker Merit Cyprus Classic this year, and the Mediterranean island played host to some of the biggest names in poker. But when the tournaments completed, only two players took home major titles. Perica Bukara beat out 36 players to win the $25K buy-in High Roller Freeze-Out, for which he received $207,337 for the victory. And the Main Event ended up drawing 181 players for the $5K buy-in tournament, and the $1.3 million in prize money paid out to the final 18 players. At the final table though, it all came down to a few players, and after Van Marcus departed in third place, Andreas Krause went on to beat Mathieu Clavet in heads-up play to win the $415,780 first place cash.

Who’s Playing

Harry Reid:  One of the most powerful people in Congress took his time coming out with a statement regarding online poker legislation, and though it is not official, reports from Nevada are emerging about Senator Harry Reid’s stance on the issue. During an August 16th meeting, Reid stated that he would support online poker but not a more comprehensive gaming bill, which puts him at odds with Rep. Barney Frank’s H.R. 2267 that covers all of online gaming with the sole exception of sports betting. Reid supposedly bowed to the online poker idea because his state could use the revenue, and it would not interfere with larger casinos and their main casino game revenue stream. More will likely be said on the topic in coming months.

Durrrr and Jungleman12:  While the initial “Durrrr Challenge” between Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius is still ongoing and takes place occasionally, another challenge has been accepted. Daniel “Jungleman12” Cates recently expressed an interest in the online poker contest with Dwan, though the difference between the first challenge was that it would mainly consist of no-limit hold’em games. The two began their initial matches on Thursday night, August 26, and will continue to play four to six tables at regular intervals at the $200/$400 level. Cates is currently an economics student at the University of Maryland and a regular at the high-stakes tables on Full Tilt Poker, where the Durrrr Challenge is taking place. Next on the list of potential challenge candidates is Brian Townsend, who has expressed an interest in playing Dwan as well.

Online legislation supporters:   A new website emerged this week, one called Players Before Profits that was being heavily promoted on social networking sites by the Poker Players Alliance. The focus of the site was to confront Los Angeles’ Commerce Casino about its stance against the current online gaming legislation, H.R. 2267, that recently passed the House Financial Services Committee. A Commerce representative testified before the committee against the bill, and the poker community has risen up to protest that move. The website has accumulated more than 5,000 signatures in the first few days of its promotion, and some of the well-known pros who signed included Annie Duke, Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Jennifer Tilly, Patrik Antonius, and Andy Bloch. The point of the online petition is to state that online players are a key component to bringing live players to casinos like Commerce, and regulating the online industry is essential to the continued prosperity of the poker industry as a whole. Many players have also indicated that they will boycott Commerce Casino in the hopes of prompting the company to change its stance on the issue.

Where They’re Playing

Blanca Games:  Most have not heard of the company, but this week it made global news by announcing its purchase of the Cereus Poker Network, home of UB Poker and Absolute Poker. Blanca Games is headed up by Stuart Gordon, and he noted that players should experience no change in their gaming at Cereus because of the transition, though security and customer service departments will be strengthened over time. When the Kahnawake Gaming Commission gave its ultimate approval to the purchase, it was complete when it was announced on August 26, and it was a surprise to most in the industry. And Blanca Games is not finished, as Gordon said that his company is seeking to make other acquisitions in the online gaming market.