The Nightly Turbo: European Poker Tour London Breaks Record, Washington State Poker Players Facing Problems, and More
If you're looking for the top poker news stories of the day, you've come to the right place. With registration closed at the PokerStars European Poker Tour London, it's official, last year's record for field size has been broken. On top of that, PokerStars is no longer accepting real-money players in Washington State. Read on to find out more.
In Case You Missed It
There are worse jobs than traveling around the world covering poker tournaments. All of us at PokerNews HQ know this and we're all very thankful. Lynn Gilmartin was recently on one of the tour benders, going from New Zealand to Argentina to cover the APPT and LAPT, and she tells you all about it in the latest Around the World with Lynn.
The online poker scene never sleeps. Tournaments run 'round the clock and this week some of online poker's best had a pretty good run of the tables. Check out the Midweek Briefing for the results.
What happened to the final table players at the 2002 WSOP Main Event? We have your answers in the latest edition of Where are They Now.
Picking up women isn't the easiest thing in the world for some guys. If you're one of those guys, Tony Dunst wants to help you out. Check out the latest Sin City Series for more.
Broken Record
Last year, the PokerStars European Poker Tour London broke the record for the biggest live poker tournament ever held in the U.K. This year, a new record was set. Combining the numbers from Day 1a and Day 1b of the 2010 EPT London, the total field came out to 848, smashing last year's record of 730. Not only that, but this event is also one of the biggest EPT tournaments ever held since the Tour began in 2004.
Daniel Negreanu, JP Kelly, Leo Margets, Jason Mercier, Eric Baldwin, Phil Ivey, Annette Obrestad, and David Williams are just a few of the pros who entered the field on Day 1b.
PokerNews is at the Hilton Metropole bringing you all the action from the felt each day as the field shrinks and we find out who will take home the title and the £900,000 first-place prize.
We have just announced three $15,000 Sunday Million Freerolls & three $2,000 PCA Freerolls with PokerStars. You can win a ticket to a tournament with a life changing prize pool for free, but only with Club PokerNews!
Blocked
With the recent ruling in the Washington Supreme Court, which said that the state law banning Internet poker was not in violation of the U.S. Constitution, PokerStars has just announced that it would cease providing Washington residents real-money poker.
In a statement issued by PokerStars Thursday, the company said that "the policy would remain in effect until the law changes or subsequent legal challenges succeed."
"We regret this decision, which will no doubt disappoint our customers in Washington State. However, in all of the jurisdictions where we operate, we are committed to making responsible decisions that are based on a full and considered understanding of the most up-to-date legal advice," the statement continued.
Fortunately for Washington residents, the balance of funds in their accounts are not affected, which means they will still be able to cash out if they need to.
Read the entire statement at PokerStars.com.
Winning in London
Although the headlines we were expecting fromAnnette Obrestad at the 2010 World Series of Poker this summer didn't happen, that doesn't mean that she doesn't still have it. The Full Tilt Poker Pro dominated the field in the £5,250 buy-in heads-up event at the European Poker Tour London.
The event, which began on Tuesday, maxed out at its capped 64 players. Among those in the field were Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, John Juanda, and Sorel Mizzi. The matches were best of three with the final being a best-of-five match. Obrestad played 16 matches on her way to the title and only lost two. She pocketed a cool £120,000 for the win.
Our own Gloria Balding caught up with Obrestad to discuss her win and how her day is going in the EPT London Main Event.
The Big Game
The PokerStars.net Big Game is back with new episodes on October 4 on FOX. You'll have to check your local listings for the time, we can't give you everything around here. What we can give you, though, is a teaser. It includes Phil Hellmuth in a hand against the Loose Cannon, and if this doesn't make you want to watch, we're not really sure what will.
Want your shot at the pros? Head on over to TheBigGame.PokerStars.net to find out how to become a Loose Cannon.
European Poker Tour London
If you don't already know that the PokerNews Team is in London for the PokerStars European Poker Tour London, now you do. Gloria Balding braved the foggy London weather to give us all (those of us who aren't there) a tour of the city, and a couple of historical facts.
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