Money-added tournaments scheduled for June 30th-July 3rd

Paddy Power Poker today invites players to take part in Paddy’s Vegas Vacation, which is scheduled from June 30th to July 3rd. The tournaments take place each evening at 8.45pm and the poker room is adding at least $100 to the prizepool of each.

“Paddy’s Vegas Vacation is designed for those of us who can’t get to Sin City for the start of the world championship event later this week” said Paddy Power, Communications Manager at Paddy Power Poker. “We’re adding cash to the prizepools and there are a variety of tournaments to choose from – we may not be in Vegas but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some thrilling tournament action during the most exciting time in the poker calendar!”

Paddy’s Vegas Vacation Tournaments:

Tues, June 30th @ 8.45pm: Paddy’s Rebuy Championship $5 NLH – $100 Added

Weds, July 1st @ 8.45pm: Paddy’s Omaha Championship $10 PLO – $100 Added

Thurs, July 2nd @ 8.45pm: Paddy’s Short-Handed Championship $5 NLH – $100 Added

Friday, July 3rd @ 8.45pm: Paddy’s Main Event Championship $20 NLH – $250 Added

To register for the Paddy’s Vegas Vacation tournaments, open the poker software lobby and select ‘Scheduled Tournaments’. Sort the tournaments by name or date to find the desired tournament.

In addition to the televising of the World Series of poker, the movie Rounder’s brought this once taboo game of poker out into the limelight. There is rarely a poker game that goes by where someone does not quote Teddy KGB by saying “I stick it in you.” Good news all you poker movie fans, because Brian Koppelman and David Levien are at it again.

While there is no working title out on the wire as of yet, the draw to the movie is that the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio has apparently been signed to play the lead role. The rumor mill has it that the movie is based on the experiences related to an online casino that is based in Costa Rica.

Without a working title or any leaks as to the meat of the script, it is a little difficult to see where the picture would go, but with the popularity of online poker and the success that these players are having at the World Series of Poker, the possibilities are endless.

Will it be the story of a successful young gambler that makes the transition from online to live play or will it be more desperate like the ending of Catch Me If You Can or the Basketball Diaries? It is quite easy to picture DiCaprio playing a desperate gambler who has maxed out all of his credit cards and is now trying to find a way to get back into action.

Something else that could be explored here is the recent scandal that involved Absolute/UB. It would be quite interesting to see the story behind the people that were involved in that mess. Only time will tell though as everyone is being very tight lipped about the project. One thing is for sure, poker players will flock to the theaters to see how Hollywood portrays their world this time around.

Paddy Power Poker announces full Irish Winter Festival schedule, Festival to return to Citywest Hotel in Dublin on October 23rd – 26th. Paddy Power Poker today announces the full Irish Winter Festival tournament schedule, headlined by the €1,500 + €150 Irish Masters main event. The festival, which will be run in association with the Jackpot Card Club, returns to Citywest Hotel in Dublin, home of the Irish Open 2009 and the Irish Winter Festival 2008.

Taking place over October Bank Holiday weekend, the Irish Winter Festival features an estimated festival prizepool of €1,000,000. In addition to the Irish Masters main event (a €1,500 + €150 NLH freezeout starting on Saturday October 24th and running for three days), the festival will include a $150 + €15 NLH rebuy Super Satellite on Friday October 23rd.

A €500 + €50 NLH freezeout 2-day tournament is scheduled to start on Sunday October 25th, with a €300 + €30 Round-Of-Each (Holdem & Omaha) freezeout tournament taking place on Monday October 26th.

“Many players have already made plans to get to Dublin for the October Bank Holiday weekend, so we’re happy to be able to release full details on the festival schedule”, said Eric Booth, Head of Poker at Paddy Power Poker. “I’m particularly excited about our new Round-Of-Each freezeout, a tournament which many players have hoped for. We’ve done our best to make the Irish Winter Festival a ‘must-attend’ festival for both local and international players; it’s gonna be great!”

Weekly super satellites ($200 + $15 freezeouts) to the Irish Masters run on paddypowerpoker.com each Sunday evening, with a variety of feeders running daily. The Irish Winter Festival packages to be won at the super satellites are made up of an Irish Masters ticket plus accommodation and expenses.

bwin, the world’s leading online gaming provider, has recently launched a new online backgammon platform. The new platform will give bwin customers even more opportunities to put their skills to the test. Integrating the new and expanded version of backgammon is a further step towards expanding the extensive online entertainment line-up of bwin poker. The new backgammon platform uses Flash technology and offers players competitive and entertaining features. Customers get to choose from various rule variants, including doubling, variable time limits, and the Crawford or the Jacoby rules.

The platform’s appealing design, as well as the option of using individually configurable avatars for a more personal touch, make this new offering all the more attractive. The added line-up includes single cash games, match series as well as daily knockout tournaments. In addition to the real money option, customers also get the chance to hone their skills using play money. “For bwin, extending the games portfolio with backgammon is a key aspect in the SkillGames sector and a further step in shoring up its position as a House of Games” commented bwin Press Officer Kevin O’Neal. The new game is available at backgammon.

A luxury villa on PokerIsland, a recreational program packed full of action and the all-important showdown at the poker table – sea, sun and plenty of fun for bwin poker fans. But only the best will see their dreams come true on PokerIsland in 2009.

Is there any poker player out there who does not dream of playing in a tournament under palm trees, surrounded by everything a poker heart desires? Exciting poker games with players from across the globe and action around the clock: bwin can make this dream come true for the best poker players. The hottest poker tournament of the year will be played out on PokerIsland from 15 June to 14 July.

In order to make it into the luxury poker villa, players will need to master one of the many qualifiers on offer at Poker Island by 23 June.

“Freerolls” offer everyone a free opportunity to play their way to Poker Island 2009. After having successfully qualified online, five bwin players will jet off to poker paradise every week. Here they will get to live like true poker pros and enjoy life to the max – and experience the thrills and spills at the poker table.

Every week, there will be one winner on PokerIsland. In the grand final on 14 July, all of the weekly winners will go into battle against each other. The best of the best will walk away with the main prize: a VIP Package for the “Aussie Millions 2010” poker tournament in Australia worth $25,000. For further information, please visit PokerIsland.

Ireland’s largest bookmaker offers “To Make Final Table”, “Top Irish Player” & “Number of Entrants” markets

Paddy Power Poker today launches a variety of betting markets for the biggest and most anticipated poker tournament of 2009, the World Series of Poker* Main Event in Las Vegas. Markets include “To Make Final Table”, “Number of Entrants”, “Top Irish Player”, and “Age of Winner”.

In the “To Make Final Table” market, defending champion Peter Eastgate is available at 66/1, with players such as Chris Ferguson, Brian Townsend, Barry Greenstein and Gavin Smith part of a group of top professionals available at 80/1.

WSOP $10,000 Main Event – Outright Winner** – selected odds

Allen Cunningham 66/1

Daniel Negreanu 66/1

Gus Hansen 66/1

Patrick Antonius 66/1

Tony G 100/1

Dan Harrington 100/1

Jennifer Tilly 175/1

The “Number of Entrants” market offers punters an opportunity to bet on the size of this year’s Main Event (a total of 6,844 runners made up last year’s field, with a record 8,773 taking part in the 2006 Main Event). Will the current economic climate have an impact on the number of players willing to pay the $10,000 buy-in?

WSOP $10,000 Main Event – Number of Entrants** – selected odds
4,500 – 4,999 8/1

5,000 – 5,499 6/1

5,500 – 5.999 4/1

6,000 – 6,499 3/1

6,500 – 6,999 5/1

7,000 – 7,400 7/1

In the “Top Irish Player” market, some of the country’s best-known players are offered at 20/1 to finish ahead of all other Irishmen in the Main Event. Members of this group include Andy Black and bracelet-winners Marty Smyth and Ciaran ‘Big C’ O’Leary.

WSOP $10,000 Main Event – Top Irish Player** – selected odds

Donnacha O’Dea 20/1

Rory Rees Brennan 20/1

Jude Ainsworth 25/1

Padraig Parkinson 28/1

Alan Smurfit 33/1

Tom Hanlon 33/1

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah’s License Company, LLC (”Harrah’s”). Harrah’s does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with, Paddy Power Poker or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

**Odds are subject to change. The full list of 2009 World Series of Poker Bets can be found at Paddy Power Poker. Click on poker on the left hand side of the page.

For Online Poker visit Paddy Power Poker.

If you have ever wanted to sit side by side with some of the greatest names in both English and Australian Cricket, now is your chance. Pacific Poker will be sending 2 players to one of the best charity events of the season in the Poker Ashes Tournament. The team that wins the overall tournament will be making a $50,000 donation to the charity of their choosing.

The Australian Charity is the Shane Warne Foundation. This is a wonderful charity that has taken on the task of helping children that have fallen victim to the Victorian Brushfires. For more information, you can go directly to their site at: Shane Warne Foundation.

The Boys from England have chosen the Professional Cricketers’ Association as the beneficiary of their prize fund if they are to walk away with the win. For more information, you can go to: Professional Cricketers’ Association.

The Aussies seem to be taking this one a little personal and are looking for blood. Shane Warne has already started talking smack and it appears as though he will not let up until the Aussies walk away from this tournament victorious.

If you are looking to play for the Aussie side, you can enter via freeroll tournaments or one of the daily $5 satellite tournaments that they are running. The freerolls are held each and every day at 8:00pm AEST and the buy in satellite is held at 8:45pm AEST.

If you are looking to play for England, your chances are a little bit more limited. They have a freeroll only once a week on Thursdays at 8:00pm BST and a $1 satellite that is held from Saturday through Wednesday at 8:00pm BST. The final for both events will be held on June 7th at 8:00pm in their respective time zones

Online poker players everywhere interested in playing in the biggest poker event of the year can qualify for their 2009 World Series of Poker seats at Titan Poker, the leading poker room in Europe and the largest venue on the iPoker Network.

Titan Poker is awarding its top players with $13,000 WSOP packages, which include the $10,000 buy-in to the World Series of Poker Main Event, 7 nights of luxury accommodation at the Rio Hotel and Casino, and travel to Las Vegas, where the prestigious poker tournament will be staged this summer.

Online poker players from around the world have been competing for the WSOP prizes at Titan Poker’s satellite qualifiers, which start for entries as low as $0.77+$0.07.

In addition to the tournament series leading to the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, players are also vying at Titan Poker’s satellite tournaments to win seats to the 2009 WSOP World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha. A satellite series is also taking place awarding winners with seats at two WSOP no limit poker $1,500 Buy-in Events.

Titan Poker WSOP Main Event Super Satellite tournaments are staged every Sunday night, while the other Super Satellites are running on Saturday nights, giving players multiple ways to win their way to Las Vegas and a possible WSOP bracelet.

New depositors at Titan Poker during the month of May have a chance to win a $13,000 WSOP Package completely for free. New depositing players receive tournament entries to a series of freeroll satellites, players can win their way to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas without making a single tournament payment.

Online poker players making their first deposit during the month of May at Titan Poker, the largest poker room on the iPoker Network, will receive free entry to a series of freeroll tournaments awarding a grand total of $63,000 in guaranteed prizes.

New depositors get tournament entries to a series of satellites awarding seats to the poker room’s monthly $20,000 New Depositors Freeroll, where a guaranteed prize pool of $20,000 is distributed among the most skillful poker players.

In addition, new depositing players get entries to satellite tournaments awarding seats to Titan Poker’s exclusive Peugeot 207cc Freeroll, which will be staged on June 5. The winner of that tournament will drive away in a Peugeot 207cc Coupe Cabriolet convertible sports car, valued at $30,000.

And finally, Titan Poker’s is giving its newest depositing members chances to win a 2009 World Series of Poker package, valued at $13,000. The package includes the $10,000 buy-in to the WSOP Main Event, travel to Las Vegas, 7 nights of luxury accommodation and spending money.

With $63,000 in prizes available to players, more and more poker enthusiasts are seeing the advantages of making their first deposit at Titan Poker during May 2009.

You knew the last night of the season was going to set off fireworks and it did not disappoint. From the first hand to the last, money and cards were flying like few sessions we have seen this season. Dwan and Minieri continued to mix it up and the bluffs continued to fly around the table. 9 of the eleven hands that were shown went for over $100,000. The day started with a $387,000 pot and finished with a $514,000 pot. They once again proved that you have to have thick skin and strong stomach in order to play High Stakes Poker.

The action started on the very first hand. Dwan looked down at 55 and immediately raised the pot to $5,000. He got three callers with both Brunson and Meltzer sitting on A8 and Elezra with a Q2h. The flop came out AcJh8h and Meltzer led out for $20,000, Dwan folded and Doyle pushed it to $95,000 and then after Elezra folded, Meltzer pushed all in and was immediately called by Brunson. A lot of early anxiety, but the pot of $387,000 would be split.

The next two hands did not provide much action. Both were rather small pots and the second of them had Minieri getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar again. He made a move on a pot against Peat and ending up donating $17,000 as he had to let go of his 8h7d after posturing for a couple of seconds. The table had seen enough of his aggressive play. He has had the same style the entire time at the table and it was finally catching up to him.






Baxter continued his slide on the next hand as he went into a 5 way pot that had Dwan slow playing AA. Dwan hit a set on the flop and fired $2,200 into a pot that had never been raised pre-flop. Baxter came right over the top with a flush draw (to a board of Ah7h3c) and Dwan tried to push him off of his flush draw with a $19,700 bet. The turn was a 5c and for some reason Dwan did not bet and allowed Baxter to catch a free card going to the river. The play would end up working out in his favor as Baxter hit a K on the river and called down a $33,400 bet. The hand was worth $111,800 to Dwan and managed to get him some of the money back that he had lost during the last session.

This season has been very untypical for Laak as he has had some bad reads and made some unorthodox plays for his style. He continued the slide when he pushed all in for $128,000 on an open ended straight draw and fell short to Elezra’s two pair. They ran the board twice, but Laak failed to catch. Elezra won a monster $269,600 pot and Laak called for more chips.

Brunson would benefit from the aggressiveness of Dwan in the next hand. A 6 way pot found Doyle and Dwan isolated after the flop. Dwan had hit top pair and Doyle was on the nut flush draw. Dwan led out for $8,700 and surprisingly, Doyle just called in a situation that he had raised in several times prior. Doyle hit the turn as an As hit and Dwan fired again for $24,100. Doyle continued to let him have the lead and when another A hit on the river, Dwan assumed Doyle had missed his flush draw and fired $47,800 at the pot. Doyle took few minutes and finally called and won $177,800 with is trip aces.






Baxter got beat on a bluff again in the next hand, but at least it did not cost him much. Peat fired a quick $25,000 into a pot of about $35,000 when the flush draw popped on the river. Baxter immediately believed him and walked away from a winning hand.

Minieri took another hit to his stack courtesy of Melzer in the next hand. Both players hit a K on the flop, but Minieri was badly outkicked. Melzter started the action with a $8,200 bet and Elezra, who also hit his K with a 6 kicker, came over the top and made it $17,000. Minieri stayed with his aggressive style and as the third man in, made it $50,000 on an 8 kicker. Meltzer made the call and Elezra folded. Both players checked down the turn and river, but the KQ of Meltzer held and he won the $134,500 pot.

The next hand would spell the end of Minieri. He looked down at AA pre-flop and was obviously hoping to get some of his cash back. He made it $9,000 to go and as Peat was already on the straddle, he put the extra in to see a flop with 8-10d. We was rewarded with a flop of 5s10s10h. Minieri threw out a bet of $11,000 and when Peat made it $30,000 Minieri went all in for $111,700. He was disappointed when he saw that Peat was not on a flush draw, but had instead flopped trips. The $245,400 in chips went over to Peat’s stack and Minieri was felted.

The next has was a quick one, but saw Dwan take yet another hit to his stack as he was playing every hand trying to get something back before the last hand of the season. He made a move on Meltzer, but had the unfortunate luck of running into KK and had to fold after throwing away another $29,600. This had him down over $200,000 with only one hand left to play.

On the final hand, Laak was dealt 55 and made it $3,100. Dwan made it $14,000 with Jc10s and Meltzer managed to catch KK again and made it only $30,000. While Laak folded, Dwan called the almost min raise. Meltzer would quickly regret not putting more out there to take the hand down right there. The flop was Ah3h10d. The worst thing that could have happened for Meltzer was that Dwan hit that flop. He fired a small $30,000 bet and Dwan quickly called. The dream card came on the turn for Dwan as a Jd hit and game him the lead with two pair. He led out with $46,200 and after some though, Meltzer made the call. The river card game Dwan a full house with JJJ1010 and he made an over the top bet of $146,800 and was all in. Dwan had done this before on a move and it paid off as Meltzer called him down and looked like astonished that Dwan had called not only his pre-flop raise but also his flop bet. All in all, the pot was worth $514,400 and put Dwan up about $40,000 for the seession.

It was a great year and while Minieri was felted, Dwan’s aggressiveness all season paid off on the final hand of the year. He needed lady luck to be with him, but after abandoning him from the first few sessions, she returned at exactly the right time. He got rewarded for some very questionable play, but he is the one walking away a winner. Another season is behind us and with all of the young players hitting major scores in tournaments this year, you can only expect more of the same when they start it back up again next year.