Poker News Feed | Poker Hideout

Full Tilt Poker and players raise over $586k for Haiti

charlotte.widmore@soliddm.com (Clive Glenn) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:04:50 +0000

Full Tilt Poker and their loyal band of poker players have come together with one aim in sight – to raise as much money as possible for the ‘Aid for Haiti’ campaign. Full Tilt Poker were so touched by the plight of the Haitian people that they dedicated a whole section of the popular online poker site to the cause, the Aid for Haiti promotional page was created with two ends in mind one to draw attention to the cause and the second to raise as much cash as possible with all funds raised going to the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF to assist with their emergency relief efforts.

Donations made by ‘Aid for Haiti’ tournaments or transfers

Full Tilt made it possible for players to make donations to the Aid for Haiti campaign by a couple of methods, the first was to play in the dedicated poker tournaments in which all players agreed to donate their entry fee to the cause. The other was to donate directly to the Aid of Haiti appeal without playing in the online poker tournaments, there is still the ability for online poker players to donate via the direct transfer option. What is likely to make this method of donation particularly attractive is the fact that all contributions effectively will be of twice the value, as Full Tilt Poker have agreed to cash match all funds that are donated.

Additional Full Tilt player donations can only help further

Through the magnificent efforts of the Full Tilt Poker players, there have been a total of 22,785 donations to date amounting to $293,211.26 which has resulted in a total of Aid for Haiti once the Full Tilt contribution has been made of $586,423.92. This of course is only the figure at time of writing and could increase greatly with more generous donations from Full Tilt Poker players. The gang at Poker Hideout would like to say a big well done to all the team at Full Tilt and the band of players, for such a great fund raising effort for the people of Haiti who are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

www.fulltiltpoker.com

Ladbrokes Poker taking a shot in the dark in Italy?

charlotte.widmore@soliddm.com (Clive Glenn) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:32:56 +0000

Ladbrokes Poker has decided to attempt to conquer the online Italian poker market in 2010. The story reported in the Financial Times states that the online poker and sports betting company has decided to have a crack at the poker market even though they have previously failed in their sports betting high street endeavours in Italy. Italy is currently one of the more approachable European countries for UK gaming companies to attempt to enter, with a far more receptive ear to industry proposals. The Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Poker Chris Bell, is quoted in the Financial Times as saying that the company is keen to have a more international presence in terms of online gambling and the Italian market is one of the first steps to making this aim a reality.

Ladbrokes Poker hot on the heels of Party Gaming and Virgin

Ladbrokes are intending to launch online poker in Italy as well as casino games and online bingo. It is not known how Ladbrokes Poker will fare in Italy as unfortunately they are playing catch up with the likes of Party Gaming and Virgin, who already have a significant presence in the Italian online poker market. It has to be said that because of the current recession that entering new European markets may not be the most logical step, and focusing on strengthening Ladbrokes position in the UK market or by purchasing into the established market as Bwin have done with their acquisition of Gioco Digitale might be the most strategic move in the long run.

Tougher climate proves challenging

Ladbrokes Managing Director of eGaming, Ed Andrewes recently sat on the CEO panel of the EGR Live Event in London. During the conference Mr Andrewes stated that Ladbrokes along with the rest of the industry were finding trading conditions very tough in the current economic climate. Mr Andrewes said that because of the previous benefits of continued growth the much tougher environment has proved challenging for the online gaming industry as a whole. The decision therefore for Ladbrokes to enter a new market which has previously given problems is possibly very brave.

www.poker.ladbrokes.com

VC Poker helps you max your bankroll with Action Points

charlotte.widmore@soliddm.com (Clive Glenn) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:18:14 +0000

Playing online poker can at times be a costly affair, certainly if you are bleeding chips then its great to be able to max your bankroll, and at VC Poker they have a great way to ensure that you do just that with the VC Poker Action Points promotion. The VC Poker Action points are great because they are so easy to earn, in fact all online poker players need to do to earn the valuable Action Points is to play any real money online poker games or tournaments at VC Poker – it really is as simple as that!

VC Poker Action points once accumulated can then be used in a number of ways at the online poker site, such as tokens to enter VC Poker tournaments, free prizes and as free cash for the VC Poker freerolls and guaranteed tournaments. In fact VC Poker players should visit the Poker Store to see all the exciting gifts that are available to be exchanged for their VC Poker action points, everything from the usual poker merchandise, VC Poker branded clothing, electronic equipment to holidays and not forgetting of course the free poker! Clearly the more poker games you play at VC Poker the more points you will earn which will allow you a wider choice of options to convert your points for at the Poker Store.

The amount of VC Poker Action points earned depends on the sum of money paid on the rake back or fees paid for tournaments, and action points earned can range from 0.25 for a $0.01 to $0.10 rake up to the maximum of 20 action points for a rake back of between $3.01 to $5. If you are already a VC Poker player then to check your current points balance it’s a simple case of visiting the ‘My Account’ section and then looking for the tab marked Action Points Balance where you will find full details of how many points you currently have earned.

Full Tilt Poker site has the revamp, players get the bonus

charlotte.widmore@soliddm.com (Clive Glenn) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:54:05 +0000

For anyone who may have missed the news that the online Poker site, Full Tilt have new poker software, we are reminding everyone today because the special Biggest Bonus offer ever at Full Tilt poker launched to celebrate the new poker software launch is about to expire. If you are quick however you might just be able to take advantage of the $100 bonus money that has been on offer since July at the Full Tilt Poker site. The offer expires on 16th August so not much time left to obtain the free Full Tilt poker bonus money that is on offer. There is unfortunately another catch too, you must be a player who has earned a Full Tilt Bonus point before the deadline of the 28th July.

Best Bonus offer ever at Full Tilt is about to expire

If you are eligible for the Best Bonus Ever at the Full Tilt online poker site, you have until 23.59 ET on Sunday 16th August to log in to the new games software. Once you are on the Full Tilt online poker site and logged in, it is a simple case of going to the 'Cashier' tab and then 'My Promotions', after that it is a simple case of clicking on the Biggest Bonus Ever link which will then provide you with all the information needed to claim the $100. For those that have already missed the boat then we are sorry, however you won't be too late to enjoy all the benefits of the new poker software.

New and improves site functionality, helps with poker gameplay

Everything at Full Tilt has had a bit of a revamp, including the improved lobby views that make it much easier to find you way around the online poker site. There are three option to choose from the Basic View, the Standard View and the Classic view, the Standard view is still a BETA test so you may find some aspects are not yet quite perfect. For those that like the 'if its not broke don't fix it' approach then you will prefer the Classic view which is the original lobby view. There are stacks of changes at Full Tilt poker site including advance filters, favourites and lobby Widget options that allow online poker players to customize their preferences to suit them allowing for quicker access to the parts of the site that they prefer. There is an amazing FTP Hand Replayer, this allows players the option to check how they have been doing so that they can learn form their mistakes and good hands to improve poker play and assist with their strategy for future poker games. There is stacks going on at Full Tile poker, check it out for yourself.

www.fulltiltpoker.com

PKR is stacked with online poker advantages

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:45:25 +0000

As you will all know PKR is a great online poker site to play certainly if you are into gaming in a big way, this exciting online poker site provides an online poker experience that is outside of the usual poker box. What you may not realise is that the PKR online poker site also has a really interesting magazine called Stacked. If you are a Club PHR Silver online poker club member then you will already receive a free copy direct to your door.

The Stacked magazine is not a new concept in fact it was launched a year ago in the Summer of 2008, but lots of online poker players may not realise that you can access the back issues online to read at your leisure. The Stacked PKR poker magazine is crammed full of useful tips for players, online poker news, poker tournament dates for your diary, poker gear to buy as well as interesting special features and interviews. In fact something to really enjoy reading when you have some free time on your hands, obviously in between poker games!

If you are keen to get your free copy of the PKR poker magazine ahead of the online issue then you will need to be a member of Club PKR, and it really isn’t that difficult to be part of the ‘in crowd’ at PKR poker. Every time you play at PKR for real money you will be clocking up PKR points, and the best news of all the more points you earn the more benefits that you will receive from being a Club PKR member, you will soon be a Silver member and hopefully will rise through the ranks to become Gold, Platinum and maybe even a Diamond Club PKR member, with all the kudos that it brings as well of course the many advantages. The sorts of benefits that members receive are access to special poker events and tournaments, special members only freerolls as well as the fantastic Stacked magazine. Check it out online and see what you have been missing.

The Poker in the Park Festival 2009 will drive you Nuts

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:17:00 +0000

All you poker nuts (and we do mean Nuts) better mark your diary for the Poker in the Park 2009 festival that takes place on Thursday 13^th August till Friday 14^th August at London’s Leicester Square. The Poker in the Park Festival is the biggest in Europe and best of all it is free to attend. The poker in the Park festival will have all the top celebrity poker players and some will be passing on the benefit of all their top poker tips with special free poker lectures. If you would like to improve your poker game there will also be the opportunity to take part in poker play lessons and tutorials, so that you won’t be a fish out of water when you next play the poker tables. There will be 100 player free No Limit Hold ‘em Poker tournaments every hour in the Dome, Poker books and gear for sale in fact everything the poker fan could have on their wish list!

If all that wasn’t excitement enough the Poker in the Park festival also has Nuts magazine as a special sponsor and will have all the favourite ‘Lads Mags’ ladies in attendance to make the proceedings a lot easier on the eye. The lovely Nuts girls will be handing out subscription forms and posing for photographs as well as being in attendance at the Turbo Sit ‘n’ Go play for fun poker tournament at the Poker in the Park festival.

Don’t forget to try your hand at the Jamie Gold charity buy-in, there will be 50 seats available at £500 with the winner of the tournament claiming a seat in the EPT Main Event worth £5,200. The runner up will receive a training poker package from online poker champ The Maven worth £3,000 and the third place finisher will win a fantastic £1,500 watch. The charity tournament takes place at 7.30 pm on 13^th August at the Casino, The Empire, Leicester Square, London.

Party Poker promotion is just Genius!

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:53:08 +0000

If you fancy yourself a bit of an online poker playing genius then you will want to check out the Genius online poker promo at Party Poker. It doesn’t take an Einstein to work out that if you would like to win the $100,000 guaranteed prize then you will have to take part in the Genius poker game at Party Poker.

Jackpots in the Party Poker Genius promotion will start at $100 and will rise up to $100,000 and this figure will ultimately be won in the 10 millionth hand. The Genius games start on Monday 6^th July at 12.00 ET and each 50,000^th game will be squared by Party Poker to provide some pretty jaw dropping jackpots. Excitingly everyone who takes part in the winning hands of the Party Poker Genius tournaments will all receive part of the payout which in itself is a good reason to take part.

The Genius Party Poker promotion is exciting enough but it does get more exciting than that, at the moment poker players at Party Poker have a chance to take part in the Asian Adventure in Macau which takes place on 17^th August. The lucky winner of the Party Poker Asian Adventure will receive a buy-in for the main event worth $4,300, seven night hotel package for the Rio Hotel and Casino plus cash of £1,600 making the prize package a very respectable $7,000m. The Asian Poker tour takes place from 12^th August until 23^rd August with the main event commencing on August 19^th.

Don’t forget to check out the monthly Million which takes place on the first Sunday each month and offers $1,000,000 guaranteed and places are available from only $1.

Poker Players Alliance fight unfair US internet gaming law

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:45:34 +0000

Mirroring the current protests that UK bingo players are making in response to what is believed to be the unfair treatment of the bingo industry, the Poker Players Alliance in the U.S. is also campaigning to change the current online Poker and gambling laws in the States. The Poker Players Alliance has started an online petition addressed to President Obama to try to pressurise the United States government into changing what they consider to be the criminalisation of online poker, with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act has made it illegal for poker players based in the United States to participate in online poker without breaking the current law, the illegality of which is in complete contrast to most of the poker playing public’s belief that the game of both poker in its traditional form and online poker is a game of skill. It has been reported that the World Series of Poker has been used as a vehicle to further promote the legalisation of the online poker cause using both the poker players present and the media attention to help with gaining further exposure for the campaign.

The petition which currently stands at 254,830 at time of writing makes the statement addressed to the President stating ‘I am a voter and a fellow poker player asking for your support of my right to play games of skill like poker on the Internet.’ It goes on to say ‘What's most important to me is your support for my rights. Please: 1) exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and 2) license and regulate internet poker in the US. 3) Respect the rights of law-abiding Americans who love to play this great game of skill.’

If Goldman Sachs are correct however then the online petition will most likely prove to be totally unnecessary. Goldman Sachs believe that the U.S. Government will eventually legalise online poker and gambling as a means to get their hands on tax revenue that would be generated from what they anticipate to be $12 billion industry.

Poker bank accounts frozen in US by Department of Justice

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:07:49 +0000

There have been reports that bank accounts operated by online poker sites have been frozen by the US Department of Justice, the accounts affected include Full Tilt and PokerStars. There have been reports that the amount of cash frozen under the orders of the United States District Court of Southern New York citing the 1961 Wire Act is around $33 million. This is shocking news for the online poker world as until now other such cases of the Wire Act being used to determine the illegality of online gaming in the US have been in relation to sites that include casino or sportsbetting and not poker-only sites.

The Poker Players Alliance was quick to defend the poker players affected and sent a terse communication threatening potential legal implications if the funds were not released, in brief the letter sent on 8^th June read "The PPA is disappointed that this unprecedented action has been commenced against law abiding poker players. The payment processor funds frozen by the Southern District of New York belong to individual poker players - not operators of poker websites - and do not represent the proceeds of any gambling activity, much less illegal gambling activity. This money should be immediately released by the Southern District to ensure that player payouts are not further disrupted”.

At the same time that this action has been taken there has been a 94 page report from the European Commission published on the Remote Gambling Association website that declares the US gambling laws are in breach of the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules as outlined in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GTS) and had effectively placed an unacceptable trade barrier on EU gaming companies. The EU found that although US online gaming companies were free to provide online gaming that foreign gambling companies were criminalised and had placed an illegal trade barrier against EU businesses.

Pervy Swank Poker ads banned by ASA

cms_admin@baryonssoftsolutions.com (Poker Editor) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:58:06 +0000

Two recent advertisements to promote online Poker site, Swank Poker have been banned by the ASA for linking ‘gambling to seduction and sexual success’. The advertisements which featured in the first a young woman wearing a vest sporting the Swank Poker company logo and when the section was pulled down the woman could be seen holding her breasts, followed by the words "SwankPoker ... Your favourite girl will play as you tell her to. Website is updated daily for your viewing and playing pleasure. BEST SOFTWARE. HOT ACTION. SIZZLING REWARDS. Poker has never been this hot! Playing has never been this satisfying...". The second advertisement which promised players “bring enough action to the Swank tables and next thing you know, she could be taking care of your wildest fantasies ... whatever poker action you give us well reward you with some serious erotic action that will blow your mind and you!”. Both online poker advertisements featured in Flush magazine to promote Swank Poker site, and although they hardly caused a storm of controversy with only 2 complaints, the online poker adverts were deemed by the ASA of being guilty of linking gambling to seduction and sexual success.

Swank Poker themselves asserted that their online poker site "instead of offering caps and T-shirts" offered an alternative, all of which are legally sold "but which happened to be of an adult nature". The decision by the ASA has now reached the media with the Guardian website today featuring the Swank Poker story. The Swank Poker site however does not appear to be live and from other stories appearing online it would seem that Swank Poker is now defunct. So the promise of Swank Poker to offer online poker points to earn erotic experiences of a lifetime such as dates with hot models, ‘erotic action’, massages and even to appear in movies with the women concerned do not now seem to be possible.

It seems that the Swank Poker site were playing, as it were, to the lowest common denominator and now those that liked the idea of getting their hands on ‘a two pair’ are more likely severely disappointed and maybe are even feeling its all a bit of a ‘flop’. Come on guys, porn and online poker do they really fit? Those that have been earning points towards their erotic experiences must be feeling more than a little deflated, and what if online poker players still have funds in their Swank Poker account – where is the cash now? Anyone with further information on Swank Poker please contact us to let us know what is going on as we are most interested to hear any developments in this interesting story.