Fantastic Casino Glen

The latest news in online poker circles is that an amendment to legalize online poker in the United States is likely to be attached to the upcoming Payroll Tax Extension legislation. It was reported that Nevada Governor Sandoval called the top executives of casinos to inform them of the agreement between Senate Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid and Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl for adding online poker to the payroll tax bill. It was public knowledge that these two powerful Senators had been in discussion over the past few months over the development of draft legislation that would add more clarity to the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The objective was that poker be defined as a game of skill and therefore be exempted from the purview of the UIGEA.

If this actually happens it will be just one more step towards American players playing poker at online websites licensed by an American regulatory authority without fears of being ripped off by unscrupulous operators or of the Department of Justice impounding the poker site’s bank accounts. Therefore celebrations at this stage are premature. There is no guarantee that the Payroll Tax Extension bill will pass over the next few weeks. Though, experts say that the chance of this happening right now appears to be better than 50%. If online poker is no longer covered by the UIGEA, it will be a big relief because the Department of Justice has already opined that the Wire Act will no longer be applied to online poker.

Online poker players will never forget that Kyl (in picture) was the co-author of the UIGEA. The UIGEA specifically exempts horse racing and state lotteries. Kyl had stated in an interview that there was a need to look at each online gambling vertical individually with respect to the UIGEA and that is what he would be doing. He also said that Reid had supporters in Nevada who wanted to deal with online poker and that is why the two of them were talking. If this effort succeeds then possibly the online poker community may forget the hardships that Kyl has wrought on them since 2006.

Football season has officially arrived, and with it comes a slew of fantasy leagues of which millions of men and women just can’t get enough. Are you a fantasy football fanatic? Here are few tips to ensure your passion for football doesn’t jeopardize your job.

Don’t Check Your Picks at Work

First and foremost, don’t check your picks at work. This may seem obvious, but many fantasy football fans can’t resist logging on and checking the status of their teams. This is a bad idea as it may violate corporate computer policies, not to mention affect personal productivity. Don’t give your employer any reason to question your integrity or dedication to your job.

Watch What You Say

Though smack talk and crude banter is the stuff of fantasy football leagues, you may want to watch your mouth if you’re competing with folks from the office.

“It looks bad,” Vanessa Hodgerson, a Jacksonville attorney who specializes in workplace issues, told Jacksonville’s News 4. “You just want to use a little common sense, use a G-rated name if your co-workers or supervisor are going to be part of it, in the league.”

Consider the Benefits, Downfalls of Office Leagues

The benefits of office leagues are that they’re fun, they boost morale, and they help foster friendships around the office. However, the leagues can also be distracting, not to mention that some coworkers are poor sports and that you’ll have to watch what you say (see above). If you think your office league could turn into a stressful hassle consider opting out and participating in a personal league where you’re free to do and say whatever you want.

Good luck!

Its been a fairly successful start to the 2012 tournament schedule, with the PokerStars PCA and the Aussie Millions showing why both events are among the most prestigious tournaments in poker. The Aussie Millions featured dozens of tournaments spread across the two-week tournament series, with highlights like the $100k Challenge, the $250k Challenge, and of course the Aussie Millions Main Event.

$100k Challenge

In the $100k Challenge there were 22 players ready to battle for a seven-figure payday, and with only four players making the money there were a number of disappointed players. The Aussies had an excellent showing in the tournament with Joe Hachem and Tony G (the Lithuanian turned Aussie) cashing in the tournament. The big winner was poker pro Dan Smith, who pocketed his biggest payday to date.

Here is a look at the payouts from the $100k Challenge:

• 1^st place: Dan Smith $1,012,000
• 2^nd place: Mikhail Smirnov $616,000
• 3^rd place: Joe Hachem $330,000
• 4^th place: Tony G $242,000

Aussie Millions Main Event

The story for the first five days of the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event was Phil Ivey. Ivey returned to tournament poker just weeks before at the APPT Macau Main Event, but it was the Aussie Millions Main Event where Ivey showed why he still should be considered among the best players in the world.

After dominating the tournament for four days, Ivey was set home on Day 5 in 12^th place earning himself a $100k payday -from there Ivey went straight to the $250k Challenge registration desk and proceeded to win the tournament (as you will see below).

In the end it was Melbourne resident Oliver Speidel who would win the Aussie Millions trophy, the fourth straight Australian to win the tournament. 2006 Aussie Millions Champion Lee Nelson finished the tournament in 9^th place.

Here is a look at the final table payouts from the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event:

1.       Oliver Speidel – $1,600,000

2.       Ken Wong – $1,000,000

3.       Mile Krstanoski – $610,000

4.       Mohamad Kowssarie – $405,000

5.       Patrick Healy – $300,000

6.       Bjorn Li – $230,000

7.       Yann Dion – $170,000

8.       Daniel Idema $125,000

9.       Lee Nelson $125,000

$250k Challenge

16 of the poker worlds top players and biggest high-rollers ponied-up the ridiculous $250k buy-in for the tournament and in the end it came down to three of the biggest stars in the poker world battling for the $2 million first-place prize: Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, and Patrik Antonius.

Here is a look at the payouts for the top 3 players in the $250k Challenge:

• 1^st Place: Phil Ivey $2,000,000
• 2^nd Place: Patrik Antonius $1,200,000
• 3^rd Place: Gus Hansen $800,000

Ace investigative reporter, Wendeen H. Eolis, has once again returned from the quagmire that is online poker with another breaking story.  This time shes the first to tell the world that PokerStars CEO Gabriel Campos Woslovsky would be leaving the troubled online poker company after a two year hitch.

Read all the details of this latest turn of events in Eolis article, Poker stars Too Big to Hide Internal News, now appearing on Poker Player Newspaper.  Use this handy direct link listed above to go to the latest must read chapter of whats happening in the online poker, yet another clue in the online poker players dilemma, “Wheres my money and will I ever get it back?”

If you missed the first installment of the Gabi Campos Departure, Poker stars CEO Gabi Campos is off the Grid: A Parade of Unsung Departures, click the link.  

Online gambling has become one of the most popular discussions at water coolers around the country over the past couple of weeks. Reports have been surfacing in many states that lawmakers are considering online gambling regulations, and with each state that throws their hat into the ring, the discussions become louder and more defined at the water coolers. “We have been discussing this subject for months in our office,” said Marcel Newstreet, an Ohio resident. “It’s funny, we always talk about how just a couple of years ago, we had no casino gambling, and now it looks like we will have not only casinos, but online casinos as well. Ironic.” Newstreet’s puzzlement matches what many Americans are feeling these days. The online gambling discussion intensified when the Department of Justice issued an opinion released in December that reverses the federal government’s previous stand on Internet gambling. With that opinion, an entire nation turned their eyes towards the revenue possibilities of online poker and other casino games. Ohio and Hawaii are the latest two states where a push is being made for online poker. In Ohio, voters approved four casinos a couple of years ago. The casinos will be located in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo. The DoJ opinion has some Ohio lawmakers thinking bigger than just land-based casinos. “We’re exploring this topic,” said Dennis Berg, Ohio Lottery Commission interim director. “We want to be in the forefront of being able to generate revenue for the lottery commission. But it’s a policy decision that we will not make on our own.” In Hawaii, California-based US Digital Gaming has been lobbying legislators with presentations that describe the billions of dollars the state could gain by regulating online poker. The presentation is similar to others being shopped in dozens of states around the country. “They turn out to be really large numbers that can really benefit in funding essential services for the state of Hawaii,” said Digital Gaming’s executive vice president, Melissa Riahei. “It is a very significant sum. What we were doing is basically just informing the senators and the representatives of what’s going on across the country right now in the digital gaming world and what different states are doing.”