This ticket was one of the most sought after in recent times.  Full Tilt ran freeroll after freeroll for their players that allowed them to win entries into their main event for this show.  In most cases, individuals had to cash in their player points to enter the various satellites and then finish in the top couple of positions in order to get to the final event.

Now they are all seeing the fruits of their labor and by the early results, the wait was well worth it.  The first player to hit the felt has the dubious honor of going up against Phil Ivey.  With the performance that he had in the WSOP, it would have seemed as though Jonathan Nygaard would be easy work for him.  Not so fast, Nygaard pulled a huge upset and managed to get Ivey on with a weak Ace.  The board blanked and Nygaard decided to walk with the $40k instead of risking it.

The next player, Topel, has a bit more gamble in him.  His first round draw was not much better than Nygaard’s in that he drew Erick Lindgren.  Once again though, the pro came up short and he actually made fairly quick work of him.  The $40k payday was not enough for him though and he drew another card and when the door opened up, Howard Lederer was standing behind it.

While Lederer is far from a slouch, he has not exactly been tearing up the poker tables lately and that trend would continue as Topel managed to get just about every chip in plan in the middle of the table pre-flop with KK against Lederer’s AQ.  The flop gave Lederer an inside straight draw, but one of the last two kings never hit the felt and Lederer was left with virtually no chips at all.

For his victory, Topel was given the option of taking down a payday of $200,000, about 5 times his annual salary, or risk walking away with nothing and go for the $1,000,000 match.  He put the $200,000 back in the vault and will now risk it all against an as of yet unknown player on August 8th.  Half of you wants to smack him upside his head and the other half wants to pat him on his back and wish him the best.

This show is even further proof that ‘amateur’s are on a much even par with pro’s than people think. While you would expect a player to get lucky every now and again, to have 3 consecutive pro’s fall to amateurs in consecutive matches was probably not part of the game plan for Full Tilt.  Not only that, but it also does some damage to the idea that poker is a game of skill.  There simply is not another ‘sport’ that an amateur can have such success against a professional time and again.

Some of the information that came out of the meetings seems to have made an impression on some of the powers that be. One very interesting fact was a research project that had been done on the Poker Stars site in reference to how many of the hands actually go to showdown. This was done to show that poker is not a game of luck, but one of skill that makes the player rely on instincts to get out of a bad situation and limit their losses. This is something that one cannot do when they make a wager in any other form of gambling.

The stat that was rather enlightening that after tracking well over 100,000,000 hands, they found that a mere 25% actually went to showdown. This number made lawmakers take a step back and take a look at the game of poker as a game of skill.  If the laws are going to get passed in poker’s favor, this is a huge step in the right direction. Now all we need to do is catch President Obama and some of his cronies sitting around the table with chips and cards in front of them!

Another feather in the cap of the PPA was that they managed to bring to light the ‘good’ that poker has brought to many organizations. It is not uncommon for a local charity or church to hold a poker tournament as a way to raise money. This is not to mention the millions of dollars that the major poker players have donated over the last few years.  It is not uncommon for any of them to drop 6 figures into the basket when it is passed around.

As with anything else though, only time will tell if all of this lobbying is going to be successful. It would however seem as though poker is slowly but surely starting to tilt the scales in their favor. Hopefully we will see this trend continue because once the United States officially gets on board, the poker world is sure to benefit.

The week started off by introducing Howard Stern as its newest member.  What better way to get national attention that by getting one of the biggest mouths in radio on your side. Whether it be good or bad, Stern is sure to bring a lot more attention to the topic.  With the amount of people that he can influence during a single morning show, this should prove to be a very prudent move on the PPA’s part.

In addition to the announcement of Stern’s membership, the PPA had plenty more activities lined up to try and sway our lawmakers over the side of the poker player.  Several of the more notable players in the game have met with representatives to give them their side of the story.  The fact that they are sitting down and listening to the pitch for H.R. 2267 (the Bill introduced by Barney Frank earlier this year) would lead everyone to believe that they are finally wising up and realizing that people playing online poker on their computer is not the end of the world and could lead to a huge amount of tax income for the country.

With the week ending on Saturday, hopefully the desired affect will have been reached.  The ultimate goal is to have The President take poker out of the UIGEA legislation that it was attached to during the Bush Administration.  Many Americans have made their desires known, and if he is truly representing the voice of the people, he will change this ridiculous legislation and once again allow poker to be played legally online in the United States.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The tournaments carry an entry fee of only $11 and there will be one on May 23rd and the final one is going to be held on Many 30th. Both tournaments are at 7:05pm GMT. The top 10 point earners from the series head to the final table to be held on June 6th.

As with most poker rooms, they offer plenty of incentives to sign up. If you don’t have an account yet, be sure to get one and take advantage of the 100 % bonus (up to $400) that they are currently offering. The site itself has been a big player for some time, but they have recently changed their software and nothing but positives have been seen on the internet ever since.

Time is running out for a free chance at the WSOP and with the package that 888 Poker is offering, they are a hard site to look past. You are not going to be facing the fields that you will at PokerStars or Full Tilt and it is a better package overall. You can sit on the sidelines or you can take your shot at what will be one of the largest fields and paydays that the WSOP has ever seen.

Senators and Governors have argued for years that Online Poker should be illegal for many different reasons. They argue that the pitfalls of gambling cause many American citizens to get into debt or to become addicted to a type of environment that causes degenerate behavior. While these arguments do have merit and the pitfalls of gambling are relevant, poker has been proven to be a game involving mostly skill, with a combination of luck: very far from the degenerate gambling involved in many casino games.

If slot machines, roulette, betting on dogs, and various other forms of gambling, such as poker, are legal at institutions such as Casinos, Dog Tracks, Horse Tracks, then why should online poker be prohibited. Poker is just a game, with money simply being used to keep the score. While I do admit, that there are some pitfalls to any sort of betting and that certain types of people, with addictive personalities should not participate, overall online poker is not a harmful game.

It is estimated that over 15 million Americans play online poker for money every year, with over $170 million being wagered online by Americans, as far back as 2005. While the 2008 numbers have yet to be verified, it is estimated to be as much as five times this amount. With over half a billion dollars being spent or exchanged each year, why wouldn’t the Government want in on this action?

While it is possible that with the changes occurring in the US Government, changes could occur within the Online Poker world as well. As Obama and his cabinet are looking to fund many new projects, there is an abundance of wealth to be made from the online world. Obama, who admits to being an avid poker player, is aware of the vast amounts of money exchanged on the internet and knows of the potential that legalizing online poker could provide for the Government.

Alfonse D’Amato, who is a former Republican Senator from New York and serves as chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, has brought the subject of the legalization of online poker back into the eyes of Washington’s decision makers. In his recent article in “Roll Call”, which goes out to almost all congress members and senators, D’Amato has put the pressure on Washington to heed the request of millions of Americans and legalize online poker.

In the last paragraph of D’Amato’s article he summed up the opportunity that awaits the US Government with the following quote. “Obama is purported to be a skillful poker player, an expertise that should be an unwritten job requirement for all would-be U.S. presidents. Poker teaches you patience, and it trains you to calculate the odds and avoid unnecessary risks. If Obama applies his poker skills to his job in the White House, he will reject politically unpopular and economically untenable tax increases and look seriously at other potential revenue streams like Internet poker.”

With the economic pressure and the voices of millions of Americans, we can only hope that the legalization of Online Poker is right around the corner. Will 2009 be a historic year for Online Poker? I think it just might be!