The Nightly Turbo: Full Tilt Under Investigation, Jeff Madsen Moves to Israel, and More
Full Tilt Poker is being investigated by a federal grand jury, Jeff Madsen's latest prop bet isn't as permanent as his last, and more in tonight's Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Day 3 of the PaddyPowerPoker Irish Open saw the field whittled down to eight players. Find out who is at the final table in this recap.
No holiday will stop the Sunday Majors. Whose Easter basket was padded with a little extra green? The Sunday Briefing has the results.
Will the 2010 World Series of Poker have a new sponsor? It depends on how this lawsuit plays out.
Full Tilt Under Investigation
Online poker giant Full Tilt Poker is being investigated by a federal grand jury in Manhattan. Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson were named in the investigation. The probe is focusing on money-laundering violations and gambling laws and whether any have been broken.
No one in the justice department in Washington or the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office would comment on the case. Eric Jackson, a civil attorney representing Lederer and Ferguson said, "We are not going to comment about a speculative grand jury investigation that we are not aware of."
Nelson Rose, an author of books on gambling law, feels the government is trying to make example of the two players because they are such well-known faces. ""They are waging this war of intimidation. There are not a lot of good statutes, so they go after high-profile targets and try to intimidate everybody," Rose said.
The Financial Times has more on the story.
A Less Permanent Prop Bet
On April 1, Jeff Madsen tweeted that he would be taking up a new place of residence on April 15 until the beginning of the2010 World Series of Poker. On a day when Google changed its name to Topeka andMats Sundin outed himself as Isildur1, we were a little skeptical of the legitimacy of the prop bet.
It turns out, however, that the prop bet was not a joke and Madsen will be moving to Israel for the specified time. It's not just about a move. To win the $50,000 prop bet, Madsen will not be able to use a cell phone while abroad or contact any of his friends.
Fortunately, this prop bet is a little less permanent than his last one - unless of course he decides to take up residence there for good.
Check out the Cake Poker Blog for more.
Going Backward
In a 2009 court case in Pennsylvania regarding a home poker game, a Pennsylvania court ruled that “in conjunction with analyzing skill versus chance… it is apparent that skill predominates over chance in Texas Hold’em poker.”
It seems we're taking a step backward, however, because a Pennsylvania appeals court has recently reversed that ruling and ruled that, “While the outcome of poker may be dependent on skill to some degree, it is predominantly a game of chance.”
The Poker Players Alliance has voiced their disappointment and we can't say we're too happy about it either.
Read more over at Pokerati.com.
Live Action
The PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour is stopping in Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegan Sun on April 7. The Main Event is boasting a $4,700 + $300 buy-in. There will also be a $25,600 buy-in High-Roller Bounty Shootout event that will be filmed for ESPN2. The High Roller is capped at 81 players.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be there for every flop, turn and river, bringing all the action to those of us unable to make the trip to Mohegan.
Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and be sure to add us on Facebook.
