The Nightly Turbo: Joe Sebok Update on UB Scandal, WSOP Rules, and World Cup Results
Joe Sebok addresses the UB scandal in his latest blog, the World Series of Poker has released its latest set of rules, and the World Cup is over and we have the results all here in the Nightly Turbo.
If we didn't continuously update you on things going on outside the poker world, who would? Inside Gaming has the scoop on Delaware denying casinos and casino stocks on the rebound. Read about it all here.
Indian tribes in California are battling over whether they should get involved in online gaming. Some say yes, some say no. They're now meeting to pursue a unified online poker strategy.
New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak introduced legislation that could bring Internet poker to New Jersey. It's the first intrastate internet gambling bill to be introduced in the U.S. Find out more about it here.
The 7-Game action is back in the nosebleeds at Full Tilt Poker. If you want to know who showed up on the virtual felt and who the biggest winners were, you're going to have to check out the Online Railbird Report.
The second Day 1 flight of Event 1 at the 2010 Aussie Millions has wrapped and if you're wondering who was there and how it went, you should check out this recap.
The World Cup Goes To.....
Team Chinese Taipei has bragging rights as the best team in the world. The 2010 PokerStars World Cup of Poker VI took place over three days at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Teams from Croatia, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, Chile, USA, and Canada all took part in the event.
Team Chinese Taipei, captained by PokerStars Asia Team Pro Raymond Wu took the title home with them along with $100,000. Team Croatia, who went into the final table with the lead, finished in second place.
For more on the World Cup head on over to the PokerStars blog.
By the Book
The World Series of Poker has released its tournament rules for the 2010 Series. No major changes have been made since the 2009 rule book was instituted but the WSOP did tweak a few things. So you don't have to read the 8-page, 105-rule book, we'll tell you what was changed.
For those of you Tweeters out there, according to Rule 55, you must have your cell phone turned off during the tournament. Players who are not involved in a hand (cards in muck) will be permitted to text/e-mail at the table only as long as they aren't texting/e-mailing a buddy sitting across from them in seat eight. If the tournament staff believes you are texting your buddy at the table, both of you will be disqualified. If you want to talk on your phone, you must be one table-length away.
The logo policy will remain the same as it was at the 2009 WSOP and those of you on the naughty list will still have your penalties tracked.
“Poker has evolved exponentially the last decade, and with so many new players to the game, it’s important that we as tournament officials, dealers and players are all familiar with the rules. We believe that as the industry leader, it’s important for us at the WSOP to have the most comprehensive rules in the game today," said Vice President of International Poker Operations and World Series of Poker Tournament Director Jack Effel.
If you want to read the rules yourself, you can click here.
WPT Invitational
On February 20, the Commerce Casino will hold the eighth annual WPT Invitational. The invitation-only event will host a cocktail party, WPT Boot Camp, and of course the tournament with approximately 500 participants. Winning this event will get you the $100,000 first-place prize, which includes a $25,500 seat in the WPT World Championship.
The WPT has teamed up with Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization that helps economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. Participants of the tournament will be able to do a one-time rebuy for $200 for an extra 10k in chips. A hundred percent of the rebuy money will go to the Chrysalis organization.
“Every year WPT partners with a different charity for the Invitational to bring light to a variety of issues and the organizations that are hard at work to make a difference. We’ve found an incredible partner this year in Chrysalis and look forward to bringing more recognition and support to such an important cause through this fun, high profile event," said Adam Pliska, WPT president.
WPT.com has more on the WPT Invitational.
UB Update
Recently Joe Sebok has been under some fire on the TwoPlusTwo forums because of the UB scandal and his promise to reveal the names of all the individuals associated with cheating. Sebok took to his blog to give us a little update on how things are going.
Since signing with UB, he's released screen names of all the cheating accounts, complete hand histories, and additional information such as cheater's hole cards. There have been 131 requests for personal financial summaries. Of those requests, 48 were for complete hand histories. One outstanding hand history is in the process of being compiled.
"I continually hear about people saying that they either still don't have their hand histories or they aren't happy with them. If anyone hasn't received their hand histories, please shoot me an email or PM me on the PokerRoad Forums and I will look into it for you, as there shouldn't be any more of that. I always hear of people that are upset, but I never actually have those people come to me and ask for help, so I'm forced to chalk most of that up to general frustration and not reality. If I heard more specifics I could take that particular complaint a little more seriously and look into it. I presently am researching two cases for players histories where they felt that they were cheated, so I am looking into cases," he said.
He also addresses all the chatter that comes his way — some people calling him a liar — and to that he says, "I am not a liar and I actually work and collaborate with UB leadership and security on a regular basis to piece things together, as well as make improvements. I'm not really going to attempt to sway any of your opinions, but it's silly because I am on your side and I work to get as many of the answers that you want as I can."
To read the whole blog head on over to PokerRoad.com.
Aussie Millions
The 2010 Aussie Millions is well underway in the southern hemisphere and we're bringing you all the action from the felt, as well as interviews with players. Check out the video below as PokerNews hostess Lynn Gilmartin gives you an update on Event 1.
Be sure you're following us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
