The Nightly Turbo: Daniel Negreanu's Reality TV Debut, Online Poker Movement in Nevada
Miss any of the day's biggest poker stories? You've come to the right place. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we're covering Daniel Negreanu's debut on Millionaire Matchmaker, two more companies approved for online poker in Nevada, and more.
In Case You Missed It:
Day 2 of the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event saw 172 players survive. Michael Phelps was eliminated in the final level of the day, but several notables were near the top of the chip counts.
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom is on the heater of a lifetime at Full Tilt Poker. Read about Blom's incredible run during the past week in the Online Railbird Report.
The 2013 Aussie Millions Poker Championship kicks of next week. Get up to speed on the series by looking at facts and figures provided by Crown Poker.
Tired of having your aces cracked on the money bubble and losing lots of equity? InsuredPlay offers a way to ensure you receive the fair share of the pot.
Negreanu on Millionaire Matchmaker
Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu has been busy playing poker, hosting strategy sessions and enjoying the beach at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, but there's a good chance he'll be plopping in front of a television Thursday night. Negreanu will make his reality TV debut on the Bravo Network's Millionaire Matchmaker show, which matches single millionaires with potential spouses.
"Kid Poker" will be featured on Millionaire Matchmaker's Season 6 premier at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, and then again at 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Negreanu will be one of two Millionaires set up by show presenter Patti Stanger, who searches for prospective matches for Negreanu while sending him to an astrologer to talk about marriage. Check out the teaser video at BravoTV.com.
Negreanu's appearance on the show might come as a shock to some — but it shouldn't. Negreanu has long confessed his soft spot for reality TV and even Tweeted about Millionaire Matchmaker in November 2011.
Watching Millionaire Matchmaker and thinking how embarrassing but fun it would be to do that show! The 2 drink rule would be broken for sure
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker)
We'll see if Negreanu holds true to his word on the "two drink rule" during his date.
Two Companies Received Preliminary Approval in Nevada
Two more companies have been granted preliminary approval to offer real-money online poker in Nevada.
In a hearing with the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday, Lottomatica and Sartini Synergy Online were recommended for licenses as service providers. Both companies will seek final license approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission later this month.
Lottomatica, an Italian gaming group based out of Rome, owns several gaming industry companies, including lottery-provider G-Tech and slot machine maker Spielo. Meanwhile, Sartini Synergy Online is a subsidiary of slot machine operator Golden Gaming.
More than 30 gaming companies have applied for licenses in Nevada, including online gaming giants bwin.party and Zynga, as well as casino leaders MGM Resorts International and Caesars Interactive Entertainment. Several companies have already received licenses from Nevada regulators and the Silver State is expected to have intrastate Internet poker operating sometime this year.
Read more at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
ISPT Gets a Facelift
The International Stadiums Poker Tour announced major changes to its tournament structure this week, but organizers still plan to launch the inaugural event at Wembley Stadium in London this spring.
A recent ISPT press release outlined a new format that will allow players to qualify for the €3,000 Main Event during a series of €300 online qualifiers at a number of sites, including Poker770. Players can also buy into the event directly for €3,000 when the event begins on June 1, 2013.
The original plans called for players to pony up €600 to play a shootout format using electronic pads offered to them from their seats in the stadium. Then, after the first round, the remaining players will move to tables on the Wembley lawn. Tournament organizers have altered the structure based on the feedback from players.
“We listened to their constructive comments and advice to come up with a convenient yet innovative format," said ISPT president Laurent Tapie. "Having the possibility to play the main event from home, at an affordable buy-in was the choice of reason.”
Tapie added that although there is no guarantee tagged on the event, he is very confident the prize pool will exceed €10,000.
Read more about the new plans at ISPT.com.
Tom Middleton Wins MiniFTOPS Event
Full Tilt Poker's MiniFTOPS XXI continued Tuesday with two more events on the 35-tournament schedule. Events 8 and 9 easily surpassed their respective guarantees with more than $135,000 handed out across the two events.
British poker pro Tom "hitthehole" Middleton added a MiniFTOPS title to his many accomplishments on the felt, winning Event #9 ($10 NLHE rebuy) for $15,313 after a heads-up deal with "Asido." The other champion crowned on Wednesday was "I_AM_Legend91," who bested 1,540 players in Event #8 ($20 PLO Rush) for a $5,277 top prize.
Here's a complete look at the results:
Event #8: Pot-Limit Omaha Rush ($15K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $20+2 | 1,540 | $30,800 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I_Am_Legend91 | $5,277* |
| 2 | Maxwells demon2 | $4,160* |
| 3 | kingwi | $4,484 |
| 4 | vulcasha32 | $2,464 |
| 5 | KINGDONKIII | $1,848 |
| 6 | 007Paghman | $1,324 |
| 7 | Takis187 | $862 |
| 8 | dubai777 | $616 |
| 9 | starclutter | $431 |
*Denotes three-handed deal
Event #9: No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max w/ Rebuys ($75K Guaranteed)
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10+1 | 3,678 | $105,970 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom "hitthehole" Middleton | $15,314* |
| 2 | Asido | $14,347* |
| 3 | LightningJoker | $8,584 |
| 4 | Cracker2179 | $6,146 |
| 5 | SebbyGl | $4,027 |
| 6 | Ondrej "Vinkyy" Vinklarek | $2,543 |
*Denotes heads-up deal
The MiniFTOPS action resumed Thursday with two more tournaments: Event #10 ($22 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max Rush Multi-Entry) and Event #11 ($33 No-Limit Hold'em 3x Shootout). Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews.com for all the results from each event, and play on Full Tilt Poker to claim your share of at least $3 million in this month's MiniFTOPS series!
Explain This: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier
Kristy Arnett loves to find dirt on professional poker players. This week, Kristy stalked the Twitter account of Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier for the latest edition of Explain This.
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